b"I N D U S T R Y N E W S Delivering the news you need to know. Submissions welcomeemail us at news@seedworldgroup.com. to restructure its finances and continue developing advanced soybean seed genetics and traits.Bayer has opened a 32-million-euro maize seed facil-ity in Kabwe, Zambia, tripling its capacity for high-quality maize seed production by 2025. The facility will supply seeds to 6.4 million smallholder farmers in Zambia and Sub-Saharan Africa, with plans to reach 10 million by 2030. The increased seed output will sup-port the annual maize consumption of approximately 30 million people in the region. This investment is the second-largest private investment by a German com-pany in Zambia to date.Kentucky Corn helped secure a new trade agreement with Petrolimex, Vietnam's largest fuel distributor, creating a 300-million-gallon export In 2025, U.S. farmers are shifting focus to corn,opportunity for U.S. ethanol. The Renewable Fuels Association, U.S. Grains Council, and Growth Energy with planted area rising 5% to 95.3 million acres,formalized the deal through an MOU, highlighting driven by strong profitability confidence. Soybeanethanol's benefits for energy security and air quality while supporting Vietnam's goal to boost ethanol acreage is expected to drop 4% to 83.5 millionuse in transportation fuel.acres due to weaker prices and higher input A newly signed memorandum of understanding costs. Wheat plantings will also decline, with total(MoU) between Grains Australia, the Australian acreage forecast at 45.4 million acres, the second- Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC), and the lowest since 1919, including a decrease in bothAcademy of National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration (NAFRA) aims to foster collaboration spring and durum wheat. between the Australian and Chinese grains industries. The MoU focuses on exchanging knowledge in grain quality, safety, and processing, exploring research on UC Davis has partnered with the Innovative Genomicsblending wheat and flour, evaluating wheat quality, Institute to advance CRISPR gene-editing for agri- and identifying market opportunities for whole grain culture and climate change. Joining UC Berkeley andproducts. AEGIC will deliver activities outlined in the UCSF, UC Davis will contribute expertise in climateMoU on behalf of Grains Australia.impact on agriculture. This collaboration builds on nearly a decade of work, including input from fourResearchers at Johns Hopkins University and Cold Wolf Prize winners. Spring Harbor Laboratory have identified genes controlling the size of tomatoes and eggplants, Nutrien Ag Solutions has opened a new facility at itspotentially leading to larger, more viable crops. Their Innovation Farm in Champaign, Illinois, to advanceNature study used CRISPR-Cas9 to increase fruit agronomic research and trials. Serving as a hub forsize, which could expand global agricultural markets. the 16-person agronomy team, its focus is to acceler- This research is part of a broader initiative to map the ate the adoption of innovative products and technolo- genomes of 22 nightshade crops.gies, with on-farm trials providing insights for growers and retail partners across the U.S. and Canada. The National Association of Wheat Growers has appointed Anthony Pea as policy manager. With a Benson Hill announced that the U.S. Bankruptcy Courtbackground in government relations and infrastruc-has approved its initial motions following its voluntaryture advocacy, Pea previously managed transporta-Chapter 11 filing on March 20, 2025. The approvalstion, waterway maintenance, and trade logistics at the will help maintain operations as the company worksPacific Northwest Waterways Association. SW70/ SEEDWORLD.COMINTERNATIONAL EDITION 2025"