News on Energy and Environment from the United States

Pepsico announced today a series of senior leadership changes. Furthermore, Rene Lammers is appointed as new Chief Science officer as Dr. Mehmood Khan, Vice Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer, Global Research and Development is retiring.

Researchers with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture will lead a new DARPA program of $7.5 million to use potato plants as a new, revolutionary sensor platform to detect environmental threats to deployed troops and civilians.

The problem for North Carolina’s sweet potato farmers is knowing whether the drenching rains unleashed by hurricane Florence will have the same effect as being inundated by a flooded pond or creek. Some sweet potato fields received as much as 30 inches.

Wada Farms announced this week it has entered into a strategic partnership with organic potato packer Genesis Organics located in Southern Idaho.

Nearly one-third of the world’s farms have adopted more environmentally friendly practices, while continuing to be productive (sustainable intensification), according to a global assessment by 17 scientists in five countries.

J.R. Simplot has acquired a license for CRISPR-Cas9 and related gene editing tools. This provides Simplot with another avenue to add desirable traits to fruits and vegetables, including potatoes.

RD Offutt, the largest potato producer in Minnesota, is backing away from a controversial expansion in the State just south of the Mississippi River headwaters after state regulators insisted on an environmental study of the potential contamination of groundwater.

Four of the largest food companies in the United States have launched the Sustainable Food Policy Alliance, a new organization focused on driving progress in public policies that shape what people eat and how it impacts their health, communities, and the planet.

Potato Processor Lamb Weston recently implemented new refrigeration equipment in its Hermiston plant, which company executives said will save 12 million kilowatt hours annually.

Farmers, fish advocates, tribes and government officials are headed to federal court in California on Wednesday (today) to argue who will get water — and when — in the Klamath Basin.

QSR chain McDonald’s has announced it will partner with franchisees and suppliers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to McDonald’s restaurants and offices by 36% by 2030 from a 2015 base year in a new strategy to address global climate change.

The National Potato Council, at their 2018 annual meeting, held January 12 in Orlando, Florida, presented the 2017 Environmental Stewardship Award to HFC, INC of Halma, Minnesota.

Barnana Brings the First Organic Ridged Plantain Chip to Market, and they are made from imperfect plantains.

McDonald’s announces goals to improve its packaging and help significantly reduce waste to positively impact the communities the company serves around the world.

Uglies are ketttle cooked potato chips crafted by Dieffenbach from potatoes rejected for minor imperfections. This has saved more than 350,000 lbs of potatoes from going to waste since the launch a year ago.

Penn State Ag Sciences students are in the trenches with Sterman Masser Potato Farms to find new and convenient potato products

With more than two dozen companies in Pennsylvania manufacturing potato chips, it is no wonder that researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences have developed a novel approach to more efficiently convert potato waste into ethanol.

Fresh Solutions Network announces the launch of its Side Delights® Farmer’s Table® Organic Russet single wrapped, microwaveable potato – a line extension to the Farmer’s Table Organic potato line up.