Agriculture Shorts

The U.S. Justice Department reached an agreement with Cal-Maine Foods, Hickman’s Egg Ranch, and Versova over claims by the department the companies manipulated the egg market to increase prices. The companies will donate more than 50 million eggs to food banks and pay penalties to states that investigated the misconduct . . . President Trump announced the temporary suspension of certain duties on phosphate fertilizer imported from Morocco in an effort to reduce fertilizer costs for farmers. Morocco is the world’s second-largest producer of phosphate. The White House said the suspension will last eight months or until the emergency is terminated, ⁠whichever occurs first . . . Research has shown that sprayers which utilize AI algorithms and cameras to identify weeds and pests reduce herbicide use by 58% compared to traditional broadcast sprayers . . . Last week, the USDA announced the $500 million Fertilizer Investment & Expansion for Long-Term Domestic Supply (FIELDS) program. The initiative aims to bolster domestic fertilizer manufacturing and strengthen supply chains.