Andy Castillo

1 week ago | farmprogress.com | Andy Castillo

The world hit a milestone in 2023: Earth surpassed 8 billion inhabitants. How will they all be fed? Production costs for agriculture are rising, available farmland is shrinking, planting windows are narrower due to volatile weather, and human labor is drying up.  Many machinery brands look to robots and autonomy as an answer to both world hunger and farm profits — if farmers see the return on that investment, that is.

1 week ago | farmprogress.com | Andy Castillo

Study by National Corn Growers Association will investigate farmers' perceptions and use of drone technology, aiming to inform future policies and product development. Andy Castillo, Editor of Farm Equipment and MachineryGiven their low cost and versatility, ag drones seem like a smart investment. Still, hard data is lacking on the technology’s adoption and success rate in agriculture. But a new study sponsored by the National Corn Growers Association seeks to change that.

2 weeks ago | farmprogress.com | Andy Castillo

China raises levies on U.S. goods to 84%; Trump retaliates with 104% tariff. Andy Castillo, Editor of Farm Equipment and MachineryWith trade tensions ratcheting up, Agco is the latest equipment manufacturer to pause shipments from foreign factories to the United States. Domestically made machines shipped from the United States to other countries that haven’t enacted retaliatory tariffs will continue uninhibited.

2 weeks ago | farmprogress.com | Andy Castillo

President Donald Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” has come and gone, and opinions about the administration’s sweeping tariffs range the gamut. Some farmers say the economic pain is worthwhile. Others don’t feel so liberated. Chase Goldinger, a 280-acre corn and soybean farmer in northeastern Missouri, describes tariffs as “a game of chicken with other countries to see who will cave first.” He’s worried the tariffs will shift demand away from U.S. farmers.

2 weeks ago | farmprogress.com | Andy Castillo

Three days after ag tech brand FarmWise shut down operations April 1, North America’s largest ready-to-eat salads and fresh-cut vegetables processor, Taylor Farms, announced that it is acquiring the business. “We believe in the FarmWise technology and think we have an important role to play with industry adoption in the specialty crop space,” says Ted Taylor, president of Taylor Farms’ agricultural operations.