Post harvest losses can be minimized using solutions that are already available

2 more screwworm cases reported today. Some unconfirmed X posts about a case in deer too. Theres lots of debate about whether USDA dropped the ball, underinvesting in its animal health inspection arm (APHIS) and not moving quick enough to rebuild the sterile fly facilities that eradicated screwworm 60 years ago. But a deeper issue is that we have underinvested in the science needed to prevent and control agricultural pests in the first place. Researchers have spent years exploring next-generation screwworm control: genetically engineered male-only flies, improved sterile insect techniques, and even gene drives that could spread traits capable of suppressing or eliminating populations. Maybe you think we should move faster on these tools. Maybe you think we need far more caution before release. Either way, the answer is more research. Some of the scientists working on these approaches will tell you they've had little real-world testing. Unfortunately, that's all too common. The U.S. has been cutting public agricultural R&D for decades. Public funding fell about 1/3 since the early 2000s. Screwworm is a crisis for many ranchers. It is also a warning: when we starve agricultural science, we end up with fewer tools when the next pest arrives. Policymakers should double down on funding agricultural science before the next emergency hits.

This one is aging well.

Decades of research said organic farming builds soil better. A study of 3,000 actual farms says: not so fast. It's not organic vs. conventional — it's about biomass inputs, nitrogen, and tillage. The practices matter, not the label. My latest...csanr.wsu.edu/what-actually-…

wpr.org/news/trump-administr… will new rules lead to increased food insecurity ?

agdaily.com/crops/american-c… via @AGDAILYMedia

There are about 20 Collegium Ramazzini scientists in the US who are #tortogenetic. 20 scientists together can publish a lot of litigation-based papers. 20 opportunists who will profit nicely. 20 integrity-challenged activists who can destroy science @zaruk thefirebreak.org/p/putting-i…

Need to 'detox' from glyphosate? 😂 No problem just take a piss. It doesn't bioaccumulate in humans. Your body clears it out quickly through urine. You don't need some grifter's fancy internet cleanse. Biology already handled it. Some chemicals work like this — science > snake oil. #FarmFacts #Glyphosate

Nathan Schachtman's publication, #IARCsPrecautionaryScience puts the cancer agency under the microscope. @zaruk reviews the book, the failed science, special interests, non-transparency and links to the US litigation industry. Conclusion: Shut IARC down. thefirebreak.org/p/putting-i…

Rothamsted Research has officially sown the UK's first precision-bred crop in a historic field trial. Read details in #BiotechUpdates: bit.ly/43nnJ3n

what about high fuel and fertilizer costs?

Philippines approves GM rice enriched with 3x more iron and 2x more zinc for commercial cultivation in major nutrition push 🍚🇵🇭🌾 It still needs varietal registration, seed multiplication, and certification before it reaches the market. This rice would help combat serious nutritional deficiencies in children; let's hope @Greenpeace doesn't commit another humanitarian crime by calling for its ban, as they did with golden rice in the same country. 🔗agrospectrumasia.com/2026/05… | agrospectrumasia.com/2026/05… #rice #nutrition #biotech #Philippines

300.000 árboles cítricos editados con CRISPR. No es un experimento: es producción real a gran escala 🍊🧬 Florida lanza uno de los ensayos más ambiciosos para salvar su industria citrícola del HLB, la enfermedad sin cura que la viene destruyendo hace dos décadas. Les comparto mi nuevo reportaje en @ChileBio_AG : cómo biotecnología de punta, financiamiento público y seguimiento de largo plazo se combinan para intentar rescatar una industria entera. 🔗 chilebio.cl/2026/04/19/flori… #CRISPR #biotech #biotecnología

The US has badly neglected agricultural research for decades. Government funding is down about 1/3 from its early-2000s peak. And less and less of the R&D, about half, goes toward making farms more productive. That means less investment in the science that keeps food abundant & affordable and farmers profitable and resilient.

Vaccines save lives. Antibiotics save lives. Clean water saves lives. Synthetic fertilizer makes those lives possible in the first place.

Developing Nations Drive Global GM Crop Growth - ISAAA Farmers in developing nations earn higher returns on investment, capturing greater financial value per dollar spent than their counterparts in industrialized countries isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupda…

Los transgénicos están transformando la agricultura moderna, y entenderlos es clave para el futuro del campo. Te invito a adquirir mi libro: “Los transgénicos. Oportunidades y amenazas en la agricultura” en: Amazon, BuscaLibre y Gonvill. #AgriculturaDelFuturo 🌱📖

While many in agriculture have made substantial contributions, it's challenging to argue there is anyone who's contributed more than Borlaug. Some estimates identify the Green Revolution as saving 1 billion lives. The Green Revolution was certainly the #1 20th century innovation.

Sri Lanka’s leap—banning every pesticide overnight—turned from eco‑dream to agri‑nightmare, with crops failing and protests blooming. A cautionary tale for anyone (yes, MAHA included) who thinks you can weed out pesticides without sowing bigger problems. global-agriculture.com/globa…