Nitrogen fertilizers used in agriculture contribute significantly to global warming. A new breeding concept, specifically for wheat, could help reduce nitrogen fertilization. This holobiont principle places the complex interactions between plants and soil microbiomes at the center of plant breeding. In combination with machine learning, this could lead to the use of new wheat varieties, as well as other crops, that are more resilient to climate change and contribute to soil health.

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Pa.) and Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) introduced the bipartisan U.S. Grain Standards Reauthorization Act of 2025 in the House this week. Much of the legislation is permanently authorized, but several provisions will expire on Sept. 30, 2025, if Congress does not pass a reauthorization bill.

Harvesting two crops with overlapping growing periods is called “relay intercropping.” It’s rare to see on farms in the U.S., but a group of farmers, researchers and policymakers say it could help reduce flooding in fields and downstream. Under the right market and weather conditions, this practice could also bump up farmers’ profit margins.

​Maize and other cereal grains are vital to the global food supply, serving as staples for billions of people and essential components of animal feed. However, these crops increasingly are contaminated by mycotoxins, toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi under stress conditions. While aflatoxins remain among the most well-known, other toxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON), fumonisins (FUM), ochratoxin A (OTA), zearalenone (ZEN), and the T-2 and HT-2 toxins also are raising concern across the food industry.