Engineered Wheat Produces Own Fertilizer and Ag Trade Deficit Record High
From the Ag Information Network, this is your Agribusiness Update.
**Farmers could soon benefit from wheat engineered to stimulate the production of its own fertilizer, turning nitrogen from the air into a usable form and reducing the need for synthetic fertilizer.
UC Davis professor, Eduardo Blumwald says you could save at least 10% of the amount of fertilizer being used on that land.
Blumwald says that, conservatively, should be a savings of more than a billion dollars per year.
**The U.S. ag trade deficit hit a record high in the first half of this year.
Bloomberg says the value of agricultural exports trailed that of imports by $4.1 billion in June, 14% wider than a year earlier, pushing the ag sector’s deficit to a staggering $28.6 billion.
AgWeb says the ag trade deficit is one of the main reasons President Trump gave for imposing tariffs and working on new trade deals.
**U.S. retail sales of potatoes remained strong from July of last year thru June, with total volume increasing 2.3%, reflecting sustained consumer demand for this versatile, nutrient-dense vegetable.
According to www.morningagclips.com, volume sales were 13% higher than the same period in 2018 and 19, indicating greater demand than before the pandemic.
Dollar sales remained stable, dipping just 0.5% to $19.86 billion.
Sales volume increases were driven by fresh (2.6%), and frozen (3.7%).
www.morningagclips.com/potato-retail-sales-volume-grows-2-3-july-2024-june-2025/
