There were 212,714 farms with 53.1 million irrigated acres, which included 81 million acre-feet of water applied in the United States, according to the 2023 Irrigation and Water Management Survey results, published today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). In 2018, the irrigation survey results showed that there were 231,474 farms with 55.9 million irrigated acres, which included 83.4 million acre-feet of water. The results show that the number of farms irrigating, the amount of land irrigated, and the total water used for irrigation decreased between 2018 and 2023.
The 2024 Sustainable Agriculture Summit is coming up November 20-21 in Minneapolis. Bringing together farmers, suppliers, processors, brands, academia, conservation organizations and the public sector, the Sustainable Agriculture Summit is the premier sustainability event for agriculture and by agriculture, convening the collective food and agriculture value chain to learn, develop and advance a shared vision for a sustainable and resilient U.S. food system.
Tractors from iconic agriculture brands Case IH and STEYR have been honored with 2025 EIMA Tractor of the Year awards. This contest is a prestigious fixture for exhibitors at the International Exhibition of Agricultural and Gardening Machinery (EIMA) held in Bologna, Italy. The jury is formed of a panel of farm machinery journalists from across Europe.
What is the value of seed treatments to U.S. soybean farmers, and how do they feel about alternatives to seed treatments? A recent survey conducted by the American Soybean Association and the United Soybean Board sought to determine just that. The survey was conducted in July 2024 and gathered 491 online responses from farmers growing at least 150 acres of soybeans during the 2023 season across the 17 largest soybean-producing states in the United States. On average, 90 percent of soybean acres in the ASA/USB survey were planted with treated seeds. Only three percent of respondents had never planted any treated soybean seeds. Because seed treatments are so widely used by farmers, the technology impacts farms across the United States.
Syngenta Crop Protection, a global leader in agricultural innovation, and Maersk, a global integrator of logistics, announced the extension of their fourth-party logistics (4PL) partnership for an additional five years. This renewed collaboration underscores both companies’ commitment to responsible logistics through continuous supply chain optimization and innovation.
Rivulis, the leader in innovative irrigation solutions, introduced its D4000 PC drip irrigation system at the Irrigation Association Show on November 4. This revolutionary thin-wall pressure-compensated drip line is designed to make drip irrigation possible on land previously inaccessible for drip irrigation, allowing growers to maximize their productivity and profitability.
The National Wheat Yield Contest announced the 26 national and 94 state winners for 2024-the ninth year of the contest. This year’s contest had 516 entries, the most ever.
A Michigan State University researcher has received a $325,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to develop a yeast-based biopesticide that targets spotted wing drosophila (SWD), an invasive pest of berries and tree fruits. Julianna Wilson, an assistant professor in the Department of Entomology and tree fruit specialist with MSU Extension, leads the multistate team. Partnering on the project is Molly Duman Scheel, a professor of medical and molecular genetics at Indiana University.
Vertiberry, a leader in sustainable indoor strawberry farming, has chosen Sollum‘s LED lighting solution for its new facility in L’Assomption, Québec. Expected to be operational by the end of 2024, the indoor/TCEA facility will serve as a test bed for Vertiberry’s innovative growing methods, which include both strawberry propagation and production.
