The hottest Agriculture Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Business Topics

Paid content: Parables for pruning an apple tree

Wood From Eden • 336 implied HN points • 28 Feb 25
🍲 Food & Drink Gardening Sustainability Cooking Agriculture
  1. Pruning an apple tree is important for its health and growth. It helps the tree produce better fruit and stay strong.
  2. There are techniques to prune effectively that can improve the overall structure of the tree. Learning these can make caring for a tree easier.
  3. Knowing when and how to prune is key to successful gardening. Timing your pruning can lead to the best results for your apple tree.

Solving for Climate: the podcast is back

Sustainability by numbers • 188 implied HN points • 25 Feb 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate change Sustainability Environmental Policy Climate Science Agriculture
  1. The podcast 'Solving for Climate' is starting its second season, focusing on conversations with experts who are working on climate change solutions.
  2. Reading can help us understand important topics, like the impacts of climate change and our agricultural practices, through different perspectives and stories.
  3. Generational differences in views about climate change may be overstated, and it's important to recognize common ground instead of blaming each other.

The Burning Truth: Climate Change’s Burning Impact on Global Crops

Adetokunbo Sees • 208 implied HN points • 22 Feb 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate change Agriculture Food security Sustainability Environmental Impact
  1. Climate change is causing significant price increases for crops like cocoa, coffee, and mango, impacting food costs around the world.
  2. Many crops are suffering from rising temperatures, with some regions losing suitable land for growing key crops like coffee and cocoa.
  3. To cope with climate change, farmers need to adapt their methods, such as using crop diversification and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Starving Palestine

Vittles • 282 implied HN points • 10 Feb 25
🍲 Food & Drink Food Systems Agriculture Culinary culture Environmental Impact
  1. Israeli actions in Palestine, especially in Masafer Yatta, have severely impacted local pastoralist communities. Many shepherds face violence and loss of land, making it hard for them to sustain their traditional way of life.
  2. Food sovereignty is crucial for Palestinians, as their access to traditional agricultural knowledge is shrinking. This loss affects their health and cultural practices, making dependency on outside, often expensive, food sources more common.
  3. The fight for food sovereignty in Palestine is part of a broader struggle against colonialism. It represents a way for Palestinians to assert their rights, heritage, and identity amidst ongoing challenges.

178 | Global Food Fraud Trends | Honey Rules |

The Rotten Apple • 10 implied HN points • 03 Mar 25
🍲 Food & Drink Food Safety Food Fraud Regulations Agriculture Market Trends
  1. Food fraud incidents have remained stable over recent years, with no significant changes in the types of fraud reported. This means the same food items are often targeted year after year.
  2. Honey has become a bigger focus in food fraud discussions, with new regulations in place for imported honey to ensure its quality and authenticity in Europe.
  3. More reporting and attention from regulatory bodies may lead to an increase in reported incidents, but this doesn't necessarily mean there's more fraud happening; it might just reflect better tracking.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

🌾 Can we feed the future?

Faster, Please! • 456 implied HN points • 13 Jan 25
🍲 Food & Drink Agriculture Sustainability Technology Global Issues Nutrition
  1. Farmers have made great progress in feeding a growing population, moving from three billion to eight billion people over the last 60 years. This was thanks to better technology and more farmland.
  2. Even with this success, experts worry that factors like climate change, crop diseases, and lack of investment in farming tech could hurt future food production. There's a lot at stake for the world's food supply.
  3. To continue improving food production, we need to embrace technology and find ways to share it better, especially in less developed areas. Innovations can help us meet the needs of a future population that could exceed nine billion.

How much food did the world produce in 2024?

Sustainability by numbers • 379 implied HN points • 14 Jan 25
🍲 Food & Drink Food production Agriculture Sustainability Global trends
  1. In 2024, global food production of staple crops like rice, wheat, and soybeans is expected to hit record highs. This is good news as it means more food is available.
  2. While some crops like corn may not reach last year's records, overall yields for most staples are strong. This shows that farming practices are improving.
  3. Other crops like cocoa and coffee have mixed results; cocoa production has dropped while coffee is nearly at record levels. It highlights how different crops respond differently to growing conditions.

Chewing the cud could sink the planet

The Global Jigsaw • 119 implied HN points • 04 Oct 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate change Sustainability Agriculture Food Systems
  1. Raising cows and sheep produces a lot of methane, which is a major contributor to climate change. This is because methane is released when these animals digest their food and is much worse for the planet than carbon dioxide.
  2. Livestock generates 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions, which is even more than the transport sector. This includes not just the methane from their digestion, but also emissions from raising feed and pasture.
  3. A Japanese seaweed startup has found a way to cut methane emissions from cows by adding a specific type of red algae to their feed. This could reduce their methane output by more than 90%.

Sorry, Elon: Henry Ford Started a Colony First

Life Since the Baby Boom • 1152 implied HN points • 10 Nov 24
💾 History Colonialism Economics Agriculture Management Environment
  1. Henry Ford tried to create a city called Fordlandia in the Amazon rainforest to produce rubber. He faced many challenges because the environment was very different from what he knew.
  2. The project suffered from poor living conditions, high worker turnover, and management problems, leading to riots and disease among workers. It was hard to get people to stay and work.
  3. Ultimately, the project failed to produce rubber as intended and Ford lost a lot of money. It shows how difficult it is to impose a new way of life in an unfamiliar place.

The War on the Countryside

Wrong Side of History • 432 implied HN points • 14 Nov 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Agriculture Brexit
  1. Farmers' concerns about Brexit highlight their vulnerability outside the EU, as they lack the strong political backing that other European farmers have.
  2. British farmers fear that urban voters, who may not understand their way of life, could threaten their livelihoods, particularly if Labour comes into power.
  3. The farmers believe they are currently safe with the Tories but worry about a future where urban interests may overlook rural needs.

Vertical farming: a local solution for greens, but not feeding the world any time soon

Sustainability by numbers • 339 implied HN points • 05 Dec 24
🍲 Food & Drink Sustainability Farming Agriculture Food security
  1. Vertical farming can grow greens indoors, but it won't solve global food issues soon. It's too energy-intensive and often expensive.
  2. Growing leafy greens like lettuce can work if electricity costs are low. However, for staple crops like wheat, vertical farming is not a practical option right now.
  3. While vertical farms might use less land, they can have a bigger carbon footprint than traditional farming, depending on the energy source used.

Forgotten Minerals #2: Caliche

Material World • 918 implied HN points • 14 Jan 25
🔬 Science Geology Environmental Science Agriculture History
  1. People often keep mining a resource even when substitutes are available. This happens because once we start mining something, we rarely stop.
  2. Caliche, a valuable rock in the Atacama desert, is still being mined heavily for its nitrogen, despite the invention of synthetic alternatives that could replace it.
  3. Interestingly, mining caliche can have less environmental impact than the modern methods used to create fertilizers, showing that old mining practices haven't completely disappeared.

Glyphosate - Drying Agent and Herbicide for Soy and Wheat and its Potential Health Impacts

Molecular Spectacular • 168 implied HN points • 13 Dec 24
🏥 Health Politics Toxicology Environmental health Public Health Agriculture Food Safety
  1. Glyphosate, a common herbicide, has been linked to health risks like increased cancer risk and endocrine disruption. Many studies suggest a troubling connection between glyphosate levels in humans and serious health issues.
  2. Soy protein consumption is strongly connected to higher levels of glyphosate's byproduct, AMPA, in urine. This indicates that what we eat can affect how much of these chemicals we accumulate in our bodies.
  3. There are hints that glyphosate might disrupt gut health, which could impact digestion of gluten. This might be related to rising gluten allergies, especially in sensitive populations like infants.

Greenhouse Gases Deadly Dance: CO2, N2O and CH4 Emissions' Alarming Card

Adetokunbo Sees • 208 implied HN points • 23 Nov 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Greenhouse Gases Emissions Climate change Fossil fuels Agriculture
  1. Carbon dioxide emissions are still rising and could reach over 41 billion tons this year, which is concerning for our climate.
  2. Methane and nitrous oxide emissions are also increasing, with agriculture being a major contributor to nitrous oxide levels.
  3. To tackle these issues, we need to cut down on fossil fuels and change how we farm and use land to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

A Massive Win, and What It Means

The Crucial Years • 2002 implied HN points • 26 Jan 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Policy Energy Health Agriculture Research
  1. A huge victory against the fossil fuel industry has been achieved by halting new licenses for LNG export terminals.
  2. Biden's decision sets a climate test for American fossil fuel expansion plans, signaling a transition from natural gas as a 'bridge fuel'.
  3. The fight for climate justice needs to include considerations for impacts on communities and involve effective monitoring and engagement with frontline leaders.

Help make local meat affordable again!

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 1697 implied HN points • 12 Sep 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Legislation Agriculture Food Safety Economy
  1. Support for the PRIME Act can lead to more affordable and accessible local meat options by allowing farmers to use local butchers without costly USDA intermediaries.
  2. Passage of the PRIME Act would increase access to local slaughterhouses, improve food safety, boost food security, and contribute to the local economy.
  3. Taking action by calling or emailing legislators to support the PRIME Act, meeting with representatives, and spreading awareness can make a significant impact on the future of local meat production.

Sowing Solidarity: How Lebanon’s Wineries Remain Rooted

Vittles • 159 implied HN points • 11 Nov 24
🍲 Food & Drink Wine Culture Environment Economy Agriculture
  1. Lebanon's wineries are facing tough times due to conflict and destruction. Many winemakers are shifting their focus from producing wine to supporting their communities.
  2. The connection to the land is really important for these winemakers. They feel a strong pride in their heritage and want to preserve their agricultural traditions amidst the chaos.
  3. Support from abroad is crucial for the survival of Lebanon's wine industry. Winemakers need strong export partnerships to keep their businesses alive as local markets struggle.

Getting back to the root of coffee

Longer Tables with José Andrés • 628 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
🍲 Food & Drink Coffee Agriculture Ethics Culture Community
  1. Cxffeeblack founders aim to honor the roots of coffee and shift the industry's narrative to support communities of color.
  2. Renata and Bartholomew highlight the importance of recognizing the African heritage of coffee to preserve the future of the crop and support indigenous farmers.
  3. Consumers are encouraged to find gratitude in their coffee consumption, embrace peace, and consider the deeper stories behind the products they consume.

How to be a farmer like you mean it

Figs in Winter: New Stoicism and beyond • 530 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
🚌 Education Ancient Wisdom Life philosophy Literature Agriculture
  1. Ancient wisdom from farming communities can offer valuable insights on life and work.
  2. Hesiod contrasts the benefits of cultivating land with the destructiveness of war, highlighting the value of peaceful, agricultural pursuits.
  3. Considering a return to nature-based lifestyles, even for city dwellers, can offer a sense of renewal and connection to the earth.

Let the sunshine in

Klement on Investing • 2 implied HN points • 10 Feb 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy Agriculture Electricity Land use Environmental Policy
  1. Solar farms in New York State have helped increase farmland prices by 18% from 2015 to 2021. This shows that renewable energy can positively affect local economies.
  2. Farmland close to electric substations saw the most price increases. Locations far from the grid didn't benefit as much, making it more challenging for solar developers.
  3. Higher local electricity prices led to even greater appreciation in land values. Proper planning for renewable energy can improve lives and reduce electricity costs.

Agriculture, but make it precise

Topsoil • 550 implied HN points • 06 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Agriculture Data AI
  1. Precision agriculture uses technology to adjust equipment for field variability, improving efficiency.
  2. Precision agriculture offers benefits like increased yields, time savings, and environmental sustainability.
  3. While valuable, precision agriculture is not a one-size-fits-all solution and adoption can be complex.

Should We Be Talking About Pesticides Instead of Sulfites?

Not Drinking Poison • 353 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
🍲 Food & Drink Wine Agriculture
  1. The natural wine community believes that discussing the elimination of synthetic chemical pesticides in agriculture is more important than debating sulfite reduction in winemaking.
  2. Consumer expectations often clash with the natural processes and limitations of natural wine production, highlighting misconceptions about the industry.
  3. Natural wine serves as a platform to expose the 'Big Lie' in the wine world, revealing how production methods can impact the environment and quality of the final product.

Economic Ornithology

Bird History • 379 implied HN points • 10 Jan 24
🔬 Science Ornithology Conservation Agriculture Research History
  1. Before pesticides, birds were valued by farmers for their role in controlling bugs on crops, and economic ornithologists calculated the precise worth of each bird in dollars.
  2. The Bureau of Biological Survey was established to study the economic impact of birds on agriculture, shifting focus to quantify the benefits and drawbacks of various bird species on crops.
  3. Studies conducted by economic ornithologists resulted in a widespread belief in the economic significance of birds in pest control, but the field eventually lost credibility as pesticides and modern agricultural practices took over.

Underrated Problems in Biotechnology

Niko McCarty • 99 implied HN points • 25 May 24
🕹 Technology Biotechnology Agriculture Environmental Genetics Health
  1. Chick culling is a big issue where billions of male chicks are killed each year because they can't lay eggs. New technology can help determine an egg's sex earlier to prevent this cruelty.
  2. Synthetic apomixis could change farming for the better by allowing farmers to grow hybrid crops indefinitely without buying new seeds each year. This would help increase their profits and food supply.
  3. Tree engineering is important for combating climate change, but not enough researchers are focusing on it. Creating trees that grow faster and capture more carbon could help protect our forests.

Making America

KERFUFFLE • 39 implied HN points • 28 Nov 24
💾 History Agriculture
  1. Farming in the American West was much harder than expected. People thought that farming would bring more rain, but this idea was wrong, leading to failures for many farmers.
  2. The Homestead Act gave out 160 acres of land, but that wasn't enough for farming in the West. The dry climate made it tough to grow crops without proper water sources.
  3. Native Americans had a better way of life in the West because they adapted to the natural conditions. They used horses, which helped them thrive on the harsh Great Plains.

Does Rice-Cultivation promote Gender Equality?

The Great Gender Divergence • 294 implied HN points • 22 Jan 24
🌍 World Politics Gender Equality Agriculture Labour Social Issues Economic Growth
  1. Rice cultivation can encourage female labor force participation and close-knit interdependence.
  2. Farm work in rice cultivation may normalize women's work but not change societal views on gender roles.
  3. High demand for agricultural labor doesn't always lead to improved gender equality, as it may keep women in abusive marriages.

Data: the new oil or a new byproduct?

Topsoil • 511 implied HN points • 30 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Data Agriculture Framework Digitization Analytics
  1. Data in agriculture is essential for advancements like Generative AI, automation, and precision agriculture.
  2. Challenges in farm digitization include issues like connectivity, interoperability, data quality, trust, and incentives.
  3. Farmers derive value from data through decision-making, enabling technologies, sharing with advisors, compliance, and future income opportunities.

Farming is a team sport

Topsoil • 452 implied HN points • 31 Oct 23
💼 Business Farming Roles Agriculture
  1. Farming requires a diverse team with various roles.
  2. Roles on the farm include operations manager, operators, bookkeeper, and agronomist.
  3. There is a trend towards consolidation, professionalization, and automation in farming.

Where the crops go

Topsoil • 471 implied HN points • 31 May 23
💼 Business Agriculture Markets Demand Consumption Industry
  1. Farmers need to consider demand when deciding what crops to grow.
  2. Proximity to markets can influence a farm's choice of crops to grow.
  3. Various stakeholders, including farmers, cooperatives, commodity groups, and the government, work together to grow demand for agricultural products.

Age of Invention: Cash Cows

Age of Invention, by Anton Howes • 1008 implied HN points • 10 Aug 23
💾 History Industrial Revolution Innovation Agriculture Optimization
  1. Robert Bakewell had an 'improving mentality' when it came to breeding animals, focusing on optimizing profit and efficiency.
  2. Bakewell selectively bred cows and sheep to maximize valuable meat and minimize feeding costs.
  3. The improving mentality led Bakewell to continuously optimize all aspects of his farm, from animal breeding to farm layout and operations.

Cash crops, marketing boards, and agricultural policy failures in Africa

An Africanist Perspective • 455 implied HN points • 18 Feb 23
🌍 World Politics Agriculture Development Trade Africa Policy
  1. Improving agricultural productivity in Africa is crucial for economic development. Policymakers need to shift towards policies that support small-scale farmers and focus on local value addition before exports.
  2. The role of the state in African agriculture needs to be reconsidered. Historical policies like marketing boards have had both positive and negative impacts, and there is a need for open-mindedness towards government involvement in the sector.
  3. African cash crop producers face challenges in benefiting from their produce due to the structure of international commodity markets. African governments must invest in value addition and convince buyers to support local processing to boost sectoral margins.

What to Watch in Robotics

Startup Pirate by Alex Alexakis • 176 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Robotics AI Agriculture Small business Innovation
  1. Robotics is advancing rapidly, from cooking shrimp to automating tasks like folding laundry and making coffee.
  2. General Robotic Intelligence (GRI) is still missing, but platforms are being developed to enable robots to perform complex tasks in dynamic environments.
  3. Companies are working to make robotics accessible to small and medium-sized businesses, enabling them to automate tasks and stay competitive.

EU Farmer Blockades Represent a Serious Setback for EU’s Climate Agenda

THE FREEDOM BLOG • 176 implied HN points • 08 Feb 24
🌍 World Politics Climate Policy Protests Agriculture
  1. EU farmers are protesting against environmental targets and regulations they find burdensome.
  2. European Commission is making short-term concessions to farmers but may struggle to meet long-term emission reduction goals.
  3. Protests by farmers show that high-visibility tactics can be effective in influencing policy decisions.

Homesteading 101: Regenerative Farming and the American Farmer.

Who is Robert Malone • 19 implied HN points • 18 Dec 24
🍲 Food & Drink Farming Agriculture Sustainability Homesteading Food production
  1. Regenerative farming focuses on improving soil health and biodiversity. This means farming in a way that restores and enriches the land instead of depleting it.
  2. Historically, farming practices have prioritized sustainability and self-sufficiency. Learning from past generations can guide modern farming efforts toward eco-friendliness.
  3. Homesteading encourages individuals to take responsibility for their food production. It's about being productive and connected to the land, which can also bring satisfaction and peace.

Weeds will decide the winners

Topsoil • 294 implied HN points • 01 Oct 23
🔬 Science Agriculture Technology
  1. Weeds can significantly impact crop yields and profits through competition for resources.
  2. Farmers use integrated weed management to control weeds effectively without relying solely on herbicides.
  3. Herbicides are crucial for weed control but come with risks to human health, the environment, and issues like herbicide resistance.

The Domus Mindset

Pacification • 255 implied HN points • 06 Apr 23
💾 History Civilization Society Agriculture Slavery Religion
  1. Early settled agricultural societies may have taken the form of prison camps, with enslaved people and rulers extracting wealth.
  2. Hunter-gatherer societies had better food, health, and likely less compulsion and slavery than early civilizations founded on forced agriculture.
  3. The domus mindset, rooted in lordship and obedience, continues to shape societies, stories, and concepts of freedom today, even in modern urban contexts.

The Thousand Secret Ways the Food is Poison: #2 - Cry Toxins

Eat Shit and Prosper • 359 implied HN points • 16 Jul 23
🍲 Food & Drink Nutrition Food Safety Agriculture Food Processing
  1. Cry toxins are proteins made by a bacteria that help kill insects, like mosquitoes, but researchers believe they are safe for humans because our stomach acid breaks them down before they can harm us.
  2. When corn is processed using a method called nixtamalization, the alkaline solution can change the Cry toxins into their harmful form, raising some concerns about potential health effects.
  3. The food system is complex and constantly changing, so it’s important to remain cautious and informed about what we eat, rather than just trusting the system as it is.