Oliver Morrison

Lawmakers passed a law preventing habitually truant students from enrolling in cyber charter schools. Some cyber leaders say it’s unfair and others are challenging the law.

Bayer is expanding its focus on biofuel feedstocks through a strategic alliance with bp to scale camelina, an oilseed crop, for use in sustainable aviation fuel and other low-carbon fuels, driven by stronger global regulatory support. The company positions camelina as an intermediate crop that complements existing food production and utilizes marginal land, aiming to avoid competition with food crops. Advances in breeding, agronomy, and integrated value chains, along with secure off-take agreements, are intended to make camelina economically attractive for farmers. While Bayer cites early evidence of sustainability benefits, it acknowledges that further research is needed to fully understand the crop’s impacts.

McKinsey & Company’s latest analysis highlights a fundamental transformation in agricultural commodity trading, driven by rising market volatility, digital competition, and the adoption of AI and agentic systems. The report argues that traditional, experience-based and regionally siloed decision-making models are increasingly inadequate, urging trading organizations to adopt agile, integrated, and data-driven structures supported by advanced analytics. AI, particularly in its agentic form, is expected to optimize value chains, accelerate decision cycles, and automate post-trade processes, offering significant profitability and productivity gains. However, challenges remain around data quality and transparency, with the potential for AI-driven transformation hinging on improved data governance and interoperable analytics tools.

Oishii, a US-based indoor vertical farming company, has secured $150 million in Series C funding, distinguishing itself from industry peers by focusing on premium crop differentiation, disciplined scaling, and robotics-led efficiency. Unlike failed competitors who struggled with high costs and low-margin crops, Oishii has built its model around high-value strawberries and deep automation, allowing for greater precision and quality control. The company's approach emphasizes aligning production with real retail demand and gradually expanding its product offerings, while leveraging automation and innovation to drive efficiency. This strategy has positioned Oishii as a rare success in a sector challenged by bankruptcies, suggesting a more sustainable path forward for vertical farming.

The Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), hosted by the World Bank, has launched a $163 million funding initiative targeting smallholder farmers in some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries, as global hunger rises due to conflict, climate shocks, economic volatility, and surging input costs. The new call prioritizes fragile and conflict-affected states, encourages integrated solutions that address climate resilience, nutrition, and women’s empowerment, and aims to fill the gap left by declining development aid. Since 2010, GAFSP has mobilized over $2.46 billion to support agri-food investments in 53 low-income countries, with a focus on high-risk environments. Governments have until September 2026 to apply, with funding decisions expected in early 2027.

A UK government advisory body has warned that prioritising emissions reduction and productivity in livestock breeding risks undermining animal welfare. The Animal Welfare Committee’s report highlights that efficiency-driven breeding can lead to health and welfare problems, such as metabolic stress and reduced resilience, and urges a “balanced breeding” approach that includes welfare as a core sustainability metric. The report notes that current sustainability frameworks often exclude animal welfare, and calls for its explicit inclusion alongside environmental and economic goals. Major food chains and industry groups echo these concerns, warning that climate-focused innovation could inadvertently create new welfare issues if not carefully managed.

Tesco has relaunched its Agri-tech Challenge for 2026, introducing a dual-track model to accelerate both early-stage and market-ready agricultural technologies into real-world use across its supply chain. The initiative, run with Leading Edge Only, connects global agtech start-ups with mentoring, trial opportunities, and commercial partners, focusing on solutions for sustainability, animal health, emissions, and food waste. Past winners, like ProtonDx, have successfully commercialized their innovations through the programme, demonstrating its effectiveness as a bridge from development to deployment. The Challenge reflects Tesco’s broader strategy of using its scale to support innovation and resilience in UK agriculture.

Syngenta Vegetable Seeds has opened a $10 million R&D Technology Centre in Almería, Spain, at the heart of the world’s largest greenhouse cluster, aiming to accelerate the development of disease-resistant crops as pathogens evolve rapidly. The facility uses a “field-to-lab” approach, integrating real-world grower challenges directly into the breeding pipeline and consolidating scientific disciplines to halve breeding timelines. By leveraging data analytics, AI, and biosafety infrastructure, Syngenta seeks to respond quickly to threats like Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus and other emerging diseases. Insights from the centre will inform global R&D efforts, helping develop resilient crop varieties for diverse regions.

Forty leading global food and agriculture companies have signed a joint declaration to accelerate regenerative agriculture, aligning behind SAI Platform’s Regenerating Together Programme to create common frameworks and metrics. While this marks a significant move towards industry-wide action, the core challenge remains unresolved: financing the transition at the farm level, where upfront investments and financial risks often fall on farmers. The success of scaling regenerative agriculture hinges on developing new economic incentive models and shared responsibility across supply chains. Ultimately, real progress will require deeper collaboration among industry players, financial institutions, and farmers to ensure economic viability and lasting impact.

The Allegheny County Board of Health held a hearing on a proposed paid parental leave mandate for all employers, and heard both support and concern. A vote is possible July 15.