Efita Newsletter 1000, dated August 23, 2021

Efita Newsletter 1000, dated August 23, 2021
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EFITA


Châtenay-Malabry (FR - 92290), August 23, 2021

EFITA newsletter / 1000 - European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment


Do not miss the Virus Jokes in English and French

Blagues de janvier – février 2021
Coronavirus 1 
Coronavirus 3
Ant joke

Virus 1
Virus 3
Virus 5 
Histoires drôles de l'oncle Paul (Jamet)
Dernières histoires de Michel Gil-Antoli
Et encore... 
Et celles de mars-avril 2021
Special "Biblical studies"
Celles de juillet 2021 en français et in English, dont 17 sur le virus en bas de page)
Coronavirus 2
Coronavirus 4
Virus et autres sujets
Virus 2
Virus 4
Virus 6
Histoires drôles de Georges Larroque
Les dernières histoires de Jean Pinon
Et encore
Tout sur le vaccin
Celles de mail 2021
Celles de juin 2021

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Before computers...

This manure management plan was made on the farm of Victor Locquin, my great-grandfather, in 1885. It is taken from a document recording the practices of this farm apparently far ahead of its time. For the record, it was in the 1860s that Justus von Liebig promoted modern agricultural chemistry.
Contact: Philippe VIAUX, Member of the French Ag Academy
E-mail : philippe.viaux(a)gmail.com

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Weekly newsletters about ICT in Agriculture in English and French
Both newsletters have around 14000 subscribers.

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Since President Emmanuel Macron announced on 12 July that the pass sanitaire would be necessary for French people wishing to enjoy everyday activities, the number of people who have had at least one dose of vaccine has risen by almost 10 million
See theguardian.com


Here are the keys that will enable you to enter and visit 44 castles located close to the river Loire (French valley of kings)
See artsandculture.google.com


Thought for today, by Paul Krugman (NYT Newsletter)

I suspect that most Americans have no idea how much we’ve fallen behind on that front relative to other advanced countries with policies that make it easier for mothers to maintain their careers.

   

Virtual Agri-D Convention to explore blockchain technology in food sector

November 12, 2021
The first-of-its kind Agri-D Convention, a global virtual convention on blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies, is being held on November 12, 2021.
See agdaily.com/


Listen Schwarzenegger!

 

Effective Wildfire Management Using Remote Sensing Technology

Understanding the risks and combatting and recovering from wildfires is a complex undertaking.
Read how remote sensing can aid in all aspects of fire management – mitigation, prevention, managing active incidents, and recovery.
See l3harrisgeospatial.com


Amid the Labor Shortage, Robots Step in to Make the French Fries, By Christopher Mims (Aug. 7, 2021)

Fast-food chains are working with a host of startups to bring automation to their kitchens
In a White Castle just southeast of Chicago, the 100-year-old purveyor of fast food has played host for the past year to an unusual, and unusually hardworking, employee: a robotic fry cook.
.../...
See wsj.com


Pinduoduo, China Agricultural University, and Zhejiang University jointly announced the launch of the 2021 Smart Agriculture Competition, an agricultural technology competition with the aim of fostering innovation and promoting agricultural modernization

Contestants will take a multidisciplinary approach, applying nutrition science, precision farming and other relevant technology to cultivate tomatoes. A flowering plant of the nightshade family, the tomato is grown all over the world for its edible fruits and is a good source of vitamin C and lycopene.

The winners will be judged on yield, nutritional value, environmental sustainability and commercial viability.

Now in its second year, the Smart Agriculture Competition is led by Pinduoduo, China Agricultural University and Zhejiang University, with technical guidance from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Wageningen University & Research.

“Through the Smart Agriculture Competition, we hope to interest more young scientific talent in agriculture so that they can apply their talents to helping farmers,” said Andre Zhu, Senior Vice President at Pinduoduo. “Helping farmers to grow better not only helps people to eat better, but also has a positive impact on the environment.”

The competition is open to young agronomists and computer scientists from around the world and offers a total prize pool of more than 1 million yuan ($154,000). A total of 15 teams will be shortlisted by the judging panel to present their plans. The four teams with the highest scores will proceed to the final round of the competition.

The competition has attracted some of the world's leading experts in agriculture, nutrition, and data science to serve as judges and technical advisers, underscoring the value of a cross-disciplinary approach to tackling the challenge of growing more and better with less.

For the competition, Bayer Crop Science will provide the seeds of the Delisher cherry plum tomato for cultivation. The company will also offer its crop protection expertise and digital solutions such as greenhouse monitoring and disease prediction.
See smartagricompetition.com


Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: Sheep in the dunes, by Cornelius Van Leemputten (1841–1902)

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UPL Expands OpenAg Network with Nurture.Farm Digital Platform

The platform fosters resilient farmers, making ag simple, profitable, and sustainable for generations to come through technology-led solutions.
See precisionag.com


Just Adding an App Isn’t the Answer in Ag Retail's Digital Transformation

More than anything, collaboration should be top of mind for everyone involved -- from growers and retailers, to their technology partners.
See precisionag.com


New demographics (The Morning, NYT Newsletter, August 13, 2021)

The share of people who identify as white has been declining since the 1960s, when the U.S. opened up more widely to immigrants from outside Europe. But over the past decade, the total number of white people fell for the first time.

The total population has grown at a drastically slower rate over the past decade. As David Leonhardt has explained in this newsletter, slower population growth can expand economic opportunities for women. But it also reflects American society’s failure to support families.

The growth that did occur since 2010 — an increase of about 23 million people — was made up entirely of people who identified as Hispanic, Asian, Black or more than one race.


 

CropX Acquires Dacom Farm Intelligence

Third acquisition in 18 months adds advanced crop protection capabilities, 2.7M acres under management, and a European office.
See precisionag.com


'Digital Twins': How Computers Are Changing Horticulture

University of Queensland scientists are creating "digital twins" of mango and macadamia orchards to help boost food production.
See precisionag.com


Per capita greenhouse gas emissions by sectors, United States, 2016, by Our World in Data


AgroScout Raises $7.5 Million to Expand Its AI-based Agronomy Analytics Service

The platform allows all growers – from the biggest to the smallest – to efficiently comply with the rising demand for sustainable crop protection and carbon accountability.
See precisionag.com


FieldReveal & Agworks

The FieldReveal and AgWorks strategic partnership allows us to give each other’s customers a broader portfolio, which quickly and effectively meets their needs. When a customer chooses our platforms, it is all about their success in growing their customers market offerings through state-of-the-art software packages.
See precisionag.com


Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: Shepherdess with her flock grazing, by Cornelius Van Leemputten (1841–1902)

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Archives of our newsletters in French and English
Voir Afia
Voir Efita

 

Valley Irrigation

As the population grows and usable land decreases, the world requires precision ag solutions to meet demand for food and fiber. Valley has been The Leader in Precision Irrigation® since we founded the entire center pivot industry, helping growers optimize yields while using fewer water and energy resources.
See precisionag.com


Apeel raises $250m Series E to expand supply networks, fund tech acquisitions, AFN, by Louisa Burwood-Taylor

.../...
Apeel’s core technology is a plant-based ‘peel’ that can be applied to the surface of fresh produce to maintain its freshness for longer. The company says the tech combines materials “already found in the skins, peels, and seeds of all fruits and vegetables.”

But the company is also expanding its technology portfolio further into the digital realm. Earlier this year, it announced its first acquisition: ImpactVision, a hyperspectral imaging company that can determine ripeness, nutritional content, and other indicators of quality and shelf life in fruit and vegetables by looking inside them.
.../...
See agfundernews.com


Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: Pastorella par Luigi Chialiva (1841-1914)

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Sound Agriculture closes $45m late stage round led by Leaps by Bayer, AFN, by Louisa Burwood-Taylor

…/…
Sound Agriculture will use the funding to to boost sales and marketing capabilities around its crop input Source and its on-demand plant breeding service.

The Emeryville, California-based startup launched Source in 2019 to enhance the performance of traditional fertilizers. Used on around 300,000 acres, Source can both increase yields and reduce nitrogen usage by up to 50 pounds per acre – roughly 30%, according to CEO Adam Litle.

Considering nitrogen costs have increased by as much as 70% in the past year, adopting Source could result in serious savings for farmers, who see at least half of their overall spend go to fertilizers, he said.
.../...
See agfundernews.com


Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: Gardeuse d'oies, 1902, par Luigi Chialiva, Musée d'Orsay, Paris

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Cargill, Microsoft join $17m round for carbon verification platform Regrow, AFN, by Jack Ellis

…/…
Regrow was formed in February this year following the merger of Australian crop science company FluroSat and US soil health startup Dagan.

The Durham, New Hampshire-based firm claims its MRV platform is “the first and only” such system that allows stakeholders across the emerging ag carbon credits industry to create, and cash in on, carbon strategies. It does this by enabling transparent reporting, historical analysis, and forward-looking projections of carbon sequestration and emissions reductions, with the hope of removing “the most critical challenges standing in the way of ubiquitous adoption of regenerative agriculture practices.”

Regrow “supports delivery of programs initiated by sellers or buyers to the growers, as well as supporting grower decision-making in choosing which practice to adopt by showing them the potential for outcomes and payments,” says CEO Anastasia Volkova, who describes the platform as “the first independent, objective turnkey system” for agriculture.
.../...
See agfundernews.com


Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: Ploughing in Autumn, by Spencer Coleman

5  

Microsoft, Rabobank announce first round of carbon credits with agroforestry startup reNature, AFN, by Lauren Manning

.../...
reNature aims to help farmers transition to regenerative practices. It provides technical assistance, impact monitoring, financial resources, and access to international premium markets. Its overarching goal is to reach 100 million regenerated hectares by 2030 while supporting more than 10 million producers in making the transition.
…/…
See agfundernews.com


Dehaat to raise $100m in India’s largest funding round by agritech startup, Times Now News

Dehaat is a full stack agritech startup working with 350,000 farmers, and aims to scale that to four million by 2024.
See timesnownews.com


Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory (?????): A Shepherd and His Dog Guarding a Flock of Sheep, by Cornelis van Leemputten

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Saltwater ag startup Red Sea Farms raises $16m from AppHarvest, Aramco, AFN, by Jack Ellis

.../...
Spun out of KAUST in 2018, Red Sea Farms has developed a range of CEA technologies and crop varieties which reduce indoor farming’s reliance on freshwater, enabling them to use saltwater instead. It describes its approach as a “blend of plant science, sustainable cooling, light and energy management, and systems that use artificial intelligence.”

Among other things, it uses saltwater to cool greenhouses and irrigate crops that it has bred in-house to be more tolerant of salinity.

This opens up crop cultivation opportunities in environments where freshwater is scarce — such as deserts, or small islands at sea — and avoids the high costs associated with seawater desalination.
.../...
See agfundernews.com


Farmer costs are going up – Learn why and how they’re navigating it

New machinery prices have been rising around 4% per year for at least the last decade. This mirrors the cost per acre of power and equipment, with capital recovery costs growing by around 70% over that same time period.
See futurefarming.com


Nothing is more
responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: Dutch Landscape with Shepherdess, by Cornelis van Leemputten (1841–1902)

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Autosteer: Fendt TeachIn automates headland turns

TeachIn Turn Assistant automatically turns machines at the headland from one wayline to the next.
See futurefarming.com


Field robots: SprayBot project aims for precise fungicide application

Disease forecasting and detection methodology to feed field robots with data for precise spraying.
See futurefarming.com


Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: L'heure du repas, par Luigi Chialiva (1841-1914)

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Fertilizing: Sulky spreader compensates the influence of driving wind

According to machine manufacturer Sulky, the wind that is generated when spreading fertilizer at a higher driving speed has a negative effect on the spreading pattern. Sulky, therefore, devised ‘Speed Control’ which corrects this automatically.
See futurefarming.com


Cover crops: Measuring nitrogen in cover crops

Researchers aim to help plant breeders develop strategies to target nitrogen fixation in cover crops.
See futurefarming.com


Product development: The largest testing of new agricultural products in history
Farmers Business Network is now accepting applications for its 2022 ‘On-Farm R&D Trial Program'.
See futurefarming.com

 
The Efita newsletter is sponsored by:
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The 30-year wait for golden rice shows why ag research needs ongoing funding, AFN, by guest contributor: Barbara Wells

In the 30 years it has taken to approve golden rice, a rice variety genetically modified to provide higher levels of vitamin A, some 15 million children may have lost their vision through malnutrition.

Every year, as a result of vitamin A deficiency, up to 500,000 children go blind, with half dying within 12 months.

Having been approved for commercial production in the Philippines – the first such approval anywhere in the world – golden rice may finally reduce the persistent threat of vitamin A deficiency for millions of vulnerable children and pregnant women.

Yet for all the hard work from scientists over three decades to demonstrate its safety and efficacy, golden rice is just one component of a complex food system that must evolve to address the triple challenge of hunger, poverty, and inequality.

Not only do these issues remain widespread; they’re growing.
…/…
See agfundernews.com


How willing are people to get vaccinated against COVID?

The current willingness of people to get vaccinated against COVID varies markedly across countries.

From surveyed countries, the share of unvaccinated people who are not willing to get vaccinated is smallest in Japan, South Korea, and Spain at 14%.

This share is more than twice as high in the US and France, at around 30%. What’s encouraging is that this share has decreased over time — in France, for example, it was as high as 47% in January 2021.


Ultra-processed foods now account for two-thirds of calories in the diets of children and teens, by Katie Hunt, CNN

Children and teens in the United States now get more than two-thirds of their calories from ultra-processed foods, an analysis of almost two decades worth of data has found.

Ultra-processed foods -- such as frozen pizza, microwave meals, packaged snacks and desserts -- accounted for 67% of calories consumed in 2018, up from 61% in 1999, according to research published in the medical journal JAMA Tuesday. The study analyzed the diet of 33,795 children and adolescents nationwide.
.../...
There was good news that suggested efforts to tackle consumption of sugary drinks such as soda taxes had been effective: Calories from sugar-sweetened beverages dropped from 10.8% to 5.3% of overall calories.

"We need to mobilize the same energy and level of commitment when it comes to other unhealthy ultra-processed foods such as cakes, cookies, doughnuts and brownies," said Zhang.
.../...
See amp.cnn.com


Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: Une jeune bergère par Luigi Chialiva (1841-1914)

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Food sovereignty: The road to self-sufficiency or self-righteousness? By Tim Durham, Plant M.D.

Name an existential threat to human civilization. Was (lack of) food sovereignty at the top of your list?

In the developed world, the mere mention of food seems to be taken for granted. We have it in spades. We’ve been blessed with some of the most productive agricultural lands in the world, and the technical know-how to parlay that into a staggering assortment of products.

We fancy ourselves food connoisseurs — and yet many people are far removed from the food chains that produce, package, and distribute our essential earthly “manna.”

Maybe too far removed. An increasingly vocal crowd — food sovereigntists — argue that the grocery aisle is just the final staging ground for an array of “substandard” (borderline toxic) products produced by faceless corporations. Said entities enjoy a vertically integrated, monopolistic stranglehold over the means of production and distribution. And they’re all in cahoots, conspiring to bleed you dry while fatcats profit.
.../...
Food sovereignty: the road to self-sufficiency, or stifling self-righteousness? Seems like a dramatic solution in search of a nonexistent problem.
See agdaily.com


My House Sits in a Former Strawberry Patch. And That Kinda Makes Me Sad. - The Farmer's Daughter USA
See thefarmersdaughterusa.com


What’s with the public’s obsession of slapping labels on farming? By Amanda Zaluckyj, The Farmer’s Daughter USA

Farmers don’t wake up and just decide which category they fit into, whether urban ag, organic ag, industrial ag, etc. The labels aren't what matter most.

Quick: What do all of these terms have in common:

- Regenerative agriculture.
- Industrial agriculture.
- Organic agriculture.
- Non-GMO agriculture.
- Intensive agriculture.
- Corporate agriculture.
- Conventional agriculture.
- Urban agriculture.

Answer: These aren’t terms farmers use regularly
.../...
See agdaily.com

 

4-H survey of teens: Broadband is vital to equity and opportunity, by AGDAILY Reporters

Teens believe broadband access is critical to levelling the playing field for pandemic recovery and economic development in their communities

A new survey by the National 4-H Council, the Harris Poll, and the 4-H Tech Changemakers coalition found that teens believe unreliable access to high-speed internet and digital skills are continuing to drive economic and social inequities in their communities nationwide. The survey’s findings show the profound impact reliable high speed internet access and digital skills can have on the lives and futures of American teens and their communities.

Survey results showed that unreliable access to high-speed internet, or internet that is either sometimes or never able to provide the services needed, is highly correlated to perceptions of reduced career prospects, significantly lower levels of digital literacy, and less confidence in the ability to be successful. With high-speed internet access becoming critical in the advancement of young people and local economies, 74 percent of teens (including 79 percent from rural communities) believe that the government should play an important role in providing broadband access to all.
.../...
See agdaily.com/


Americans in 2016 Richer than Rockefeller in 1916, By Chelsea Follett

How much money would it take for you to agree to live out your life a century ago?
Voir humanprogress.org


Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: Peasant Girl Grazing a Cow at the Edge of a Forest, by Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot (1796-1875)

10  

Four great confusions still unresolved

1. At a movie theater, which arm rest is yours?

2. If people evolve from monkeys, why are monkeys still around?

3. Why is there a 'D' in fridge, but not in refrigerator?

4. Who knew what time it was when the first clock was made?


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Contact: Guy WAKSMAN
E-mail: guy.waksman(a)laposte.net


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