Agriculture & Food Production

San Francisco – September 18, 2026 -- GrubMarket has launched a new USDA Pricing AI Analyst, giving produce distributors and wholesalers conversational access to U.S. Department of Agriculture market pricing data for fruits and vegetables.

New tool joins GrubAssist AI platform alongside three existing analysts

The USDA Pricing AI Analyst is the latest addition to GrubMarket's GrubAssist AI lineup, which already includes the Business Analyst, Inventory Analyst, and Cash Flow Analyst. It draws on data from the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service, covering fruits and vegetables sold across the United States, and combines that with a distributor's own sales and purchasing records when connected to their ERP system.

Westminster, Colo. – – September 18, 2026 -- The Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) has formalized deeper ties with the Aquatic Plant Management Society (APMS) after the two groups' shared leadership produced measurable research and policy gains at APMS's 66th Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, held July 13-16.

APMS honors WSSA scientists for research and publishing milestones

Ramon Leon, Ph.D., of NC State University received the APMS T. Wayne Miller Distinguished Service Award for converting the Journal of Aquatic Plant Management from a print-only format to open-access digital publication. Chris Mudge, Ph.D., of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers won the society's top honor, the Outstanding Research Contributor award, for advancing aquatic plant management to protect U.S. water resources.

Omaha, Neb. – September 18, 2026 -- Farmers National Company, the largest U.S. land management firm, has built out CommonGround, a digital marketplace acquired in early 2026 to bring transparency and valuation data to farmland leasing transactions.

Farmers National acquired CommonGround in early 2026 to pair digital tools with its ground network

The acquisition gives Farmers National a technology layer to complement its land professionals operating across more than 30 states. The company positions the deal as part of a broader push to modernize farmland asset management amid volatile commodity prices, shifting interest rates, and rising input costs.

Tokyo – – September 17, 2026 -- Science in Sport (SiS) has been named the official performance fuel and hydration partner of the Nike After Dark Tour, a seven-city night-running series expected to draw more than 55,000 participants globally in 2026.

SiS and Nike launch first co-branded performance nutrition range

The partnership marks the first time Nike has created a co-branded nutrition range with a performance nutrition company. The collaboration spans energy, hydration and recovery products, backed by a dedicated microsite and participant education program.

Every runner receives a race-specific SiS x Nike Race Pack

All participants across the seven Tour events will be issued a bespoke race pack covering hydration, energy and recovery needs. A limited version of the range will go on public sale in the UK, US and Australia starting September 4, 2026.

Espoo – September 17, 2026 -- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and seven food industry partners have concluded a three-year, €3 million project concluding that profitable plant-based ingredient production depends on converting every raw-material fraction into value, not just isolating protein.

The RETHINK project, funded by Business Finland and running from June 2023 to August 2026, examined how Finland's oat and faba bean supply chains could be restructured into investable ingredient businesses. Industrial partners included Anora, Apetit, Fazer, Helsingin Mylly, Raisio, Valio and Viking Malt.

Indianapolis – – September 17, 2026 -- Corteva, Inc. (NYSE: CTVA) has rejected an attempt by a coalition of State Attorneys General, including California, to block its planned corporate separation, calling the underlying PFAS liability claims "speculative and unproven."

State Attorneys General seek to halt split without pending PFAS trials or judgments

Corteva confirmed that no state petitioning for the injunction holds a judgment against the company related to PFAS liability, nor is any trial currently scheduled. The company stated it has never manufactured, sold, or traded PFOA or PFOS products during its seven-year corporate history.

Kansas City – September 17, 2026 -- KanEquip, Inc. has opened its first dealership dedicated exclusively to JCB equipment in Kansas City, expanding its footprint beyond the six existing Kansas locations that carry the brand.

KanEquip enters Kansas City after Trane's acquisition of CSTK creates market opening

The sale of Central States Thermo King (CSTK) to Trane, Inc. left a gap in local JCB support in Kansas City, which KanEquip moved to fill. The company said retaining CSTK's experienced staff, some employed since 2014, was the primary driver behind the market entry, citing their established knowledge of JCB equipment and rental-house customer relationships.

Edmonton – September 17, 2026 -- Aurora Cannabis Inc. (NASDAQ: ACB) (TSX: ACB) has dismissed Curaleaf Holdings' regulatory application to halt its at-the-market (ATM) share program, calling the move a distraction from an undervalued hostile takeover bid.

Aurora says its ATM program predates Curaleaf's bid by more than six months

The company confirmed its ATM program was publicly disclosed in February 2026, months before Curaleaf launched its hostile offer, and was designed to fund accretive acquisitions in Canada and the UK. Aurora said the program has been inactive for several weeks and had not been used for three years prior to February 2026.

Alameda – September 17, 2026 -- Alveo Technologies has signed a distribution agreement with Alliance Global (AGBL) to deploy its on-farm avian influenza diagnostic across Africa, Central Asia and select Eastern Mediterranean countries, as global bird flu outbreaks have infected at least 633 million domestic birds worldwide, including more than 208 million in the U.S. alone.

Alveo Sense Poultry gains distribution rights across three continents

Under the deal, AGBL secures rights to distribute Alveo's palm-sized molecular diagnostic platform to farmers, integrators and public health officials throughout Africa, Central Asia and portions of the Eastern Mediterranean region. AGBL operates as a biomedical distribution group with offices in more than 17 countries across the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Washington – September 17, 2026 -- The Center for Green Market Activation (GMA), RMI, and 3Degrees have launched the Green Ammonia Buyers Alliance (GABA), a collective procurement initiative targeting emissions from fertilizer manufacturing, one of the largest contributors to the sector's estimated 1.2 gigatons of annual CO2e output.

GABA will pool demand from food and beverage companies to purchase Environmental Attribute Certificates (EACs) directly from verified green ammonia producers through a book-and-claim system, aiming to give project developers the revenue certainty needed to move green ammonia facilities from announcement to construction.