Agriculture & Food Production

Las Vegas – September 24, 2026 -- Columbus Vegetable Oils has opened a new packing and distribution facility in North Las Vegas, Nevada, marking a expansion of its West Coast operations as the company marks 90 years in business.

New rail-served plant to ship millions of pounds of edible oils annually

The facility increases production capacity to ship millions of pounds of edible oils annually throughout the West Coast, according to the company. It is equipped with processing technology designed to serve food manufacturers, foodservice operators and retailers.

Facility offers conventional, non-GMO and organic oil lines

The plant will stock a range of conventional, non-GMO and organic oils, including soybean, canola, olive, safflower, avocado and corn. The expansion strengthens the company's ability to serve customers across the West Coast region.

Cambridge, Mass. – September 24, 2026 -- Forbes has named Farm Aid Co-Executive Director and Program Director Shorlette Ammons to its 2026 50 Over 50: Impact list, recognizing her role in strengthening family farmers and rural food systems.

Forbes list marks sixth year honoring women over 50

The list, produced in partnership with Mika Brzezinski's Know Your Value initiative, is now in its sixth edition, celebrating women driving impact at age 50 and beyond. Ammons' selection cites her work addressing barriers facing family farmers, particularly Black, Indigenous and other farmers of color, and building farmer-led power within agricultural systems.

Madrid – September 24, 2026 -- Fruit Attraction 2026 will gather more than 2,500 exhibiting companies across 162,000 square metres of exhibition space in Madrid from October 6 to 8, drawing 121,000 trade professionals from over 150 countries for its 18th edition.

Middle East buyers gain direct access to global fresh produce suppliers

The event, organized by IFEMA MADRID and FEPEX, will give importers, distributors and industry operators from the Middle East a dedicated channel to connect with producers and suppliers from Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia. The United Arab Emirates will attend as a Guest Importing Country alongside China, formalizing trade links with two markets that organizers describe as increasingly central to global fresh produce flows.

New York City – September 24, 2026 -- The Trans-Atlantic Cotton Partnership (TACP), a new trade initiative shipping traceable U.S.-grown cotton directly to African manufacturers, launched during the UN General Assembly in New York City before private sector, investor, and government representatives.

Lesotho's Prime Minister Frames TACP as Industrial Bridge Between Continents

Prime Minister Sam Matekane delivered the keynote address, describing the initiative as an opportunity to build a productive industrial relationship connecting the U.S. and Africa beyond a simple cotton trading arrangement.

United States – – September 23, 2026 -- JPMA and Umoja Health have launched a pilot program enabling WIC participants to shop online and receive home delivery through WICShopper Online, targeting families facing transportation and mobility barriers to in-person redemption.

Pilot removes in-person PIN redemption requirement for WIC benefits

Traditional WIC redemption requires participants to shop at an authorized retailer and enter a Personal Identification Number in front of a cashier, a process participants have cited as a source of embarrassment and logistical difficulty. WICShopper Online allows users to identify eligible foods, build an order, redeem benefits digitally, and schedule delivery without visiting a store.

Munich – September 23, 2026 -- Hofbräu Munich has equipped its brewery logistics operation with more than 20 noax industrial touch panel PCs, eliminating lost orders and downtime during peak demand periods such as Oktoberfest.

Rugged terminals eliminate lost orders during Oktoberfest peak

Jürgen Breitsameter, Head of Logistics and Purchasing at Hofbräu Munich, said the terminals have become the backbone of the operation, ensuring every barrel reaches its destination on schedule during the festival's high-volume service periods. Since introducing the forklift-mounted terminals, the brewery has significantly reduced downtime and improved process reliability across receiving and delivery.

Howell, Mich. – September 23, 2026 -- Ninety-one percent of U.S. wholesale Christmas tree growers plan to hold or lower prices for the 2026 season, up from 84% a year earlier, according to the Real Christmas Tree Board's fifth annual grower survey.

Growers absorb rising input costs instead of passing them to retailers

The survey of 47 wholesale growers, representing roughly half to two-thirds of the U.S. real Christmas tree market, found that despite continued year-over-year increases in input costs, most producers are choosing to absorb them rather than raise wholesale prices. Marsha Gray, executive director of the Real Christmas Tree Board, said the outlook reflects the industry's consistency for both first-time buyers and returning customers.

London – September 23, 2026 -- Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB) has won the 'Excellence in Agricultural Financing Solutions – Tanzania' title at the Global Brand Awards 2026, organised by Global Brands Magazine.

TADB recognised for expanding farmer and agribusiness access to finance

The award cites TADB's contribution to agricultural financing in Tanzania, including expanding access to finance for farmers and agribusinesses while supporting sustainable agricultural value chains. The Bank's focus areas include smallholder farmer financing, agribusiness development, climate-smart agriculture and financial inclusion.

Seoul – September 23, 2026 -- KT&G Corporation closed its participation in InterTabac 2026, the world's largest tobacco trade fair, after operating an exhibition booth roughly four times larger than its 2025 footprint at the Dortmund, Germany event held September 15-17.

KT&G expands booth fourfold to showcase combustible and next-generation product lines

The Korean manufacturer organized its expanded space into four themed zones by product category, displaying combustible cigarette brands ESSE and BOHEM alongside next-generation products (NGP), vapor devices and nicotine pouches. InterTabac drew roughly 800 companies from more than 70 countries across 12 exhibition halls this year.

Jiaozhou – September 23, 2026 -- Jiaozhou, an industrial city in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, is converting manufacturing sites into tourist attractions, with more than 15,000 industrial enterprises and over 1,000 above designated size operating in the city, the highest count among cities of its tier in the province.

Local authorities push industrial firms into cultural tourism

A growing number of manufacturers in Jiaozhou are opening production lines to visitors, converting factory floors into sightseeing routes and study-tour venues, a shift encouraged by local government policy to expand industrial chains and boost brand influence.