There’s a surprising amount of science in a bag of potato chips. Researchers have spent decades developing chipping potatoes that can grow in all kinds of climates, avoid diseases and pests, sit in storage for months and still deliver a satisfying crunch. There are about 50 varieties of potatoes used for chips in the U.S. right now. A Michigan State University professor who developed five new potato varieties for chips in the the last 15 years is currently growing seeds for commercial testing of another. It's a bioengineered potato that can maintain a proper sugar balance when stored at colder temperatures to prevent rotting. he also has developed disease-resistant potato varieties for farmers in Africa.

Farmers in the U.S. operate on the thinnest of margins, and some have looked to renewable energy as a way to cut costs on electricity. But that has gotten a lot harder since Donald Trump's return to the White House. Within the first year of Trump's return, two federal programs critical to the growth of solar energy production have been rolled back. Those programs are the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program and the clean energy tax credit. The Associated Press and Grist analyzed data on both commercial-scale solar projects and small-scale rural energy development. The news organizations found that the USDA hasn’t awarded a single dollar in rural energy grants or loan guarantees since September.

Midwest soybean farmers are facing an array of compounding issues. Costs, such as equipment, have crept up over time while soybean prices have stayed low. Tariffs levied by the Trump administration last year and the resulting monthslong trade war with China in 2025 only made things worse, they say. Then the Iran war bottled up shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, sending fertilizer prices sky high. A ceasefire deal announced April 7 raised hope that bottlenecks in the strait would abate, but the future of the agreement was uncertain. Experts say it will take time for global supply chains to recover from the war. China is buying U.S. soybeans again, but farmers say a recent $12 billion federal aid package isn't enough to recoup their losses during the trade war.

Local opposition to solar has long been an obstacle for green energy developers in the United States, but some communities are working to reverse local restrictions. They cite the tax benefits and jobs the projects bring, plus the lease payments from energy companies that can provide stable income to farmers in a volatile industry. Wayne Greier, a 42-year-old farmer in Ohio, had hoped to sign a deal with a utility in which he would host solar on his acreage for about $540,000 in annual lease payments. Greier faced a heavy medical debt and saw the deal as a way to keep his farm in his family. After local officials blocked it, Greier is now sharing his experience with lawmakers, advocacy groups and communities debating green energy development.

Deere & Co. has agreed to pay $99 million as part of a settlement that would resolve a class action lawsuit accusing the farm equipment giant of monopolizing repair services. The Moline, Illinois-based manufacturer, which does business under the John Deere brand, has faced a handful of “right to repair” complaints over the years. The deal announced Monday — which still needs final approval from the court — would settle a 2022 lawsuit that accused the company of withholding repair software and conspiring with authorized dealers to force farmers to use their services for repairs, when they could otherwise fix tractors and other equipment themselves or use independent alternatives.

U.S. egg prices have fallen 60% from last year’s record highs, making it easier for consumers to fill their Easter baskets and Passover Seder plates. Retail prices averaged $2.50 per dozen in February compared to $6.23 per dozen in March 2025. Bird flu was to blame for the spikes seen last year, and it’s a big reason prices are so much lower now. An outbreak forced farmers and commercial producers to slaughter entire broods of egg-laying hens, but cases ebbed in the second half of 2025. Egg supplies also have improved as farmers replenish poultry flocks they lost to bird flu.