AGceleration Advisory Service brings together agriculture "Know-How" and technology to coach agribusinesses along the road to product commercialization.
California Democrats have increased regulatory costs to grow lettuce 1,400%
New data shows groceries are getting more expensive is because farming is getting more expensive
A Cal Poly study tracked the regulatory costs of a California lettuce farm
- In 2006, it was $109 an acre
- Today, it's more than $1,600 an acre
- That's a 1,400% increase in regulatory costs
I looked more into this and it’s absolutely correct
The study tracked a large scale commercial lettuce grower in the Salinas Valley across 2006, 2017, and 2024
2006: Regulatory compliance costs = $109.15 per acre (about 1.26% of total production costs)
2017: Rose to $977 per acre (795% increase from 2006; 8.9% of production costs)
2024: $1,600+ per acre (63.7% increase from 2017; 1,366% overall increase since 2006; now 12.6% of total production costs).
The state produces 70% of US lettuce
“That dramatic rise has come from layer upon layer of regulation, nearly two dozen of them related to food safety, air and water quality, worker health and safety, and wages.”
California needs to vote Red and stop with all these insane revaluations
Our ag industry in California is AMAZING: we grow the food that will help Make America Healthy Again!
But Newsom and the Democrats are CRUSHING farmers by denying them water and replacing real farms with solar farms.
I love our farmers and as governor will always support them.
.@JohnDeere is taking high-value crop autonomy to the next level with the full acquisition of @GUSSAutomation.
GUSS brings proven technology and expertise that will help growers cut labor costs, improve precision, and boost efficiency. https://t.co/JeIfn0rQQs
To those of you saying: "If the farmers want solar panels on their land that's their choice. Nothing to do with Newsom..."
Newsom and the Democrats TOOK AWAY THE FARMERS' WATER. So they're FORCED to have fallow fields, or add solar. Watch this:
Is the VC model, built on 7-10 year cycles & unicorn-or-bust outcomes right for AgTech?
How can we fund the tech needed to solve AgTech problems?
Join me, @ConnieBowen_ & @SteveSprieser to get their take on merchant banking, redeemable equities etc
https://t.co/It05VT2UTT
Gavin Newsom's Democrats are ripping out farmland and replacing it with solar farms.
No more! As governor I will support our great farmers and make sure we grow American food on our farmland not Chinese solar panels. Here's what I think of THEM:
💧How is #SWANSystems software helping growers increase #WaterEfficiency & yields? Read more from CEO Tim Hyde & Key Account Manager Shannon Rinkenberger as they talk to Irrigation Leader Magazine about managing water use 🌳 https://t.co/X6Ctb1EYOJ
@IrrigationLeadr
Save the WA farming industry potentially $340 million.
Potash prices going up. What to do?
19.3m hectares zoned for variable rate potash. This is where the industry needs to head in order to cost control.
#jfg#deeperisbetter
In this episode of The Growing Edge, we connect with Todd Burkdoll, Field Market Development Manager at Valent U.S.A., to explore what could be a banner year for walnut growers, if pests and disease don’t get in the way. Listen now: https://t.co/SdtiuGXdIf
Oil tankers are not going to be much bigger than today due to geo constraints
Might we see a similar phenomenon with ag equipment?
Combines have improved labor productivity through power & size increases
If bigger is not an option, what's next?
https://t.co/FAY4YYYzu8
The University of Nebraska has debunked out the misleading narrative on cow burps & methane on climate change:
“They have not accounted for the capture part, they only account for methane being released. Carbon capture in soil and grass - helped out by cow grazing and manure - can far outweigh the emissions from cattle. Grasslands can take up more CO2 and carbon in the soil and plants, that offsets the CO2 that cattle are producing but it also offsets the methane.
🚨 “Utah is planning on taking water away from farmers and ranchers right now”
“They are currently writing new legislation that is going to put new regulations on farmers and ranchers water use — We need your help. We need to save the farmers and ranchers”
“The verbiage in the bill is that they are going to require them to use less water, water that has been already granted to them from generations past, or they're going to require them to use more water saving technologies. But who is going to pay for that? It sure as hell isn't going to be the legislators, it's not going to be the senators, it's not going to be the governor. It's going to be the taxpayers and the farmers and ranchers who are going to have to equip for this.
So right now we need your help. We need you to call all of the state senators, we need to call all the city offices, we need to send as many emails as we possibly can. Leave the farmers out of this bill. There should be no reason that they're included in this whatsoever —- So if you guys can please make the calls, please send the emails. We need your help.”
‘The Utah farmers and ranchers truly need your help. We barely have enough water as it is to raise our crops to feed and grow our animals. If there is any more regulation, we will lose more and more and more of our family farms and ranches. They will not be able to survive this. This is just a stepping stone and if it happens in one place, it will continue to happen all across the nation please if you can share with your family and friends please leave your comments below. We need your help.”
🚨 BREAKING: In a stunning vindication of President Trump's tariff strategy, American tomato farmers are seeing the positive benefits of tariffing Mexican tomatoes.
Who would've guessed...the experts were wrong again.
"It's only been 2 days now and we've actually had a lot more calls of people having an interest in doing business!"
"And the process hasn't even changed. Food security is national security and we need to be able to produce our own food here in the United States."
Will GenAI replace agronomists?
Some say yes. Entirely.
One VC even stated: “The 10,000 registered crop advisors in the US are going to be replaced 100% by AI.”
I have a different perspective. I think it will replace less than 10% of agronomists and trusted advisors.
AI is advancing and will become capable of navigating many agronomic decisions. However, there are three critical components of agronomy that remain human:
1. Tacit knowledge.
Agronomy is about knowing what matters.
2. Emotional intelligence.
Agronomists aren’t just technical experts. They’re part therapist, part strategist, part sounding board.
3. Judgment in non-ergodic systems.
Acting NOW or waiting for more information. Understanding what the cost of being wrong is. Edge cases and the long tail make up some of the hardest decisions for farmers.
Will AI get better? Absolutely. It will make great agronomists even better, faster, more useful to the farmer. But it won’t replace the best ones— at least not anytime soon.
What skills do you think will become even more important for agronomists as GenAi progresses?
From coast to coast, Canadian farmers are the backbone of our nation — and here in southern Manitoba, we’re proud to be part of that legacy.
On this Canada Day, we salute the growers who feed our country and the world.
#AntaraAgronomy#CanadaDay
President Trump on the elimination of the estate tax for family farms—ending the IRS—driven foreclosures that forced generations of farmers to sell their land just to pay the IRS:
"With this bill, we will ensure that family farms like his can stay in the family for many generations to come."
We have lost 150,000+ farms across America over the past few years.
Rather than taxing our family farms into oblivion, we should fight to preserve them.
REPEAL THE DEATH TAX.
SFTW Convos returns tomorrow with a fascinating conversation with @GeezaColeman , an open source advocate for agriculture. Guy is the originator of the open source weed sense and act platform called #OpenWeedLocator or OWL
I have to admit I was skeptical about open source in ag before talking with Guy, but now I am less so!
Given the SFTW Convo is about Open Source, it will be available to all members for free (you do have to be signed up to the newsletter though)
You can signup at to get this for free in your Inbox on Wednesday, June 4, 2025
https://t.co/Mb69YGe9ha
Is the future of ag equipment smaller?
Will autonomy & concentration at the top leading to challenges with a secondary market lead to smaller autonomous equipment being designed, developed, & deployed?
I explore these issues in this week's Software is Feeding the World
https://t.co/iFmTXe1Hth