The week in balance

1. Ag commodities

   Calf health management claims

   Gonçalo Pereira Miguel reported zero calf mortality this year on his Montado farm, crediting diet diagnosis. The Moos Room's hosts said group sizes above ten and milk allowances under four litres daily are key risk factors for scours and respiratory disease.

   “our calf mortality was zero this year. In a year that a lot of breeders had problems with diarrhea, etc. Because we are able to diagnose it in the diet.”

   Gonçalo Pereira Miguel, Investing in Regenerative Agriculture and Food

   Why it matters. Calf losses hit margins directly; these thresholds offer practical checks for housing and feeding decisions.

   Listen: The Moos Room · Investing in Regenerative Agriculture and Food

2. Innovation

   Precision agtech dominates

   Agriland reported a Valtra T Series tractor set a speed record at the Red Bull Ring; The Modern Acre covered Carbon Robotics layoffs; No-Till Farmer examined Greeneye Technology's expansion. RealAg Radio and others discussed AI and precision tools more broadly.

   Why it matters. Tech spending decisions hinge on which tools scale and which firms falter, as this week's mixed signals show.

   Listen: Grow the Future (Yara) · Farm4Profit Podcast · The Modern Acre · No-Till Farmer Podcast

3. Ag commodities

   Extreme weather hitting crops

   RealAg Radio's Wheat Pete's Word reported frost damage to forage and tiller trouble amid wet weather delaying harvest. Farming Today covered drought and heat hitting apple orchards and causing a strawberry glut; Farmers Guide linked climate change to rising Septoria risk.

   Why it matters. Weather volatility is reshaping harvest timing, disease pressure and variety choice decisions for the season ahead.

   Listen: The Farmers Weekly Podcast · Farmers Guide

4. Ag commodities

   Community building and markets

   FAS Scotland's Agri Culture episode on Katja Williams covers agricultural community building. Food Tank's Food Talk episode features Cat Oakar on farmers markets as community infrastructure, alongside childhood obesity and food worker exploitation.

   Why it matters. Community networks and market access shape resilience for farmers, workers and local food systems.

   Listen: Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg (Food Tank)

5. Food & nutrition

   Potassium deficiency in fields

   On Agronomy Highlights' PA 4R Alliance episode, Mitchell Shirk said potassium is "the most common nutrient deficiency that I'm seeing across a lot of places."

   “potassium levels, potassium's, you know, the most common nutrient deficiency that I'm seeing across a lot of places.”

   Mitchell Shirk, Agronomy Highlights

   Why it matters. Widespread potassium shortfalls could affect yield potential and fertiliser planning decisions.

6. Food & nutrition

   Metabolic disease and crop disease

   NutritionFacts.org explored kimchi's link to stomach cancer and salt content; ZOE's Tim Spector and PCRM's Christopher Gardner discussed fermented foods and gut diversity; Risky or Not covered contamination via decades-old fish sauce.

   Why it matters. Fermented foods are promoted for gut and immune health, yet raise questions over salt, contamination and cancer risk.

   Listen: NutritionFacts.org · ZOE Science & Nutrition · Risky or Not?

Also in this edition

• Eating pace and appetite
• Soil fertility and cover crops
• Farming identity and lifestyle
• Managing fertiliser costs
• Abattoir access difficulties

The full Week 43 edition · The podcasts we follow · The weekly data