Cotton Disease Undetected and Microsoft FFA Partnership
From the Ag Information Network, this is your Agribusiness Update.
**A virus responsible for damaging cotton crops across the southern U.S. has been lurking in fields for nearly 20 years, undetected.
According to new research reported in www.morningagclips.com , cotton leafroll dwarf virus, long believed to be a recent arrival, was infecting plants in cotton-growing states as early as 2006.
The findings, published in Plant Disease by USDA researchers at Cornell University, challenge long-standing assumptions about when and how the virus emerged.
www.morningagclips.com/cotton-virus-circulated-undetected-for-nearly-20-years-study-finds/
**Microsoft and the National FFA announced the expansion of “FarmBeats for Students”, a cutting-edge program that integrates smart sensors, data science, and artificial intelligence to teach precision agriculture in classrooms.
Last week, FFA teachers and students throughout the U.S. started receiving free “FarmBeats for Students” kits that include ready-to-use sensor systems along with a curriculum for teachers.
Students will build environmental sensor systems and use AI to monitor soil moisture and detect nutritional deficiencies in real-time.
**The European Union won a pause from President Trump’s threatened 50% tariffs.
But Reuters says it’s not certain yet how the EU will push for a beneficial trade deal while Washington pushes for steeper EU concessions.
After a conference call, Trump restored the July 9 deadline to allow talks between the U.S. and EU, adding new motivation but no clear path toward a negotiated solution.
