2024 – Page 75

Cobb Breeder Management Guide: Male fleshing or breast conformation

Learn more about male fleshing and separate sex feeding

22 August 2024

6 minute read

Editor’s note: This article is an excerpt from the Cobb Breeder Management Guide and additional articles will follow. The Guide was designed to highlight critical factors that are most likely to influence flock performance. The management recommendations discussed were developed specifically for Cobb products. The recommendations are intended as a reference and supplement to your own flock management skills so that you can apply your knowledge and judgement to obtain consistently good results with the Cobb family of products. To read or download the complete Guide or to view Cobb’s other management guides, click here.

Fleshing of males in production is not common but has some unique advantages that can help to establish the correct bodyweight profile in production. The Cobb male fleshing spreadsheet is a tool used to record fleshing values from 1 to 5 (example below).

The user inputs fleshing scores for the sample population and the spreadsheet calculates percentages and the corresponding weighted average for each group. The weighted average flesh score will be graphically displayed along with the bodyweight. Contact your Cobb Technical Representative for an electronic copy of this spreadsheet.

A good example of a 2.5 to 3 fleshing score during the production period – the keel is still visible and the male is not over fleshed. Due to mating each day, feather wear along the keel is commonly seen in active, healthy roosters. The pink breast skin color is normal and indicates a male with good libido and a very active mating pattern.

A good example of the coloring of the comb, wattles and area around the eyes indicative of a sexually active male. This is one of the first signs to look for when entering a breeder house during the production phase.

Male feeding – separate sex feeding

One challenge for the farm manager and the feeding system selected is to distribute a small amount of feed per male as uniformly as possible and keep all males with a uniform growth and activity level. For males, use 20 cm (7 7/8 in) of feeder space with a track system, 8 to 10 males per round feeder and 10 to 12 males with an oval pan feeder. The height of the feeder system is important for all the males to eat comfortably. Normally apply a height that is close to the upper crop height of the males. A measuring stick that is fixed to the male feeder line can help to drop, each day, the feeder line to the correct height so that all males can access the pan feeders without female interference.

There are many other tools to keep the height of the male feeders correct. A limit switch may be attached to the feeder line so that it is activated when the feeder line reaches the predetermined height when lowered. Keep the male feeder at a height that makes the males stretch slightly to eat and prevents the females from reaching.

A male feeder should always be stable and not be allowed to swing. The height needs to be frequently adjusted by observing feeding behavior at least once a week up to 30 weeks of age. Chain or mechanical trough feeders are becoming more popular than pan feeders for males. They have some additional advantages including better feed distribution and visibility.

Separate sex feeding (SSF)

It is highly recommended to use Separate Sex Feeding (SSF) in production. Training the males is key to the success of Separate Sex Feeding (SSF). The males need to quickly identify and use their specific feeders. The best option is to have the same type of male feeder in rearing and production. Alternatively, decoy feeders can be used in rearing. For example, if the males are fed on a chain but will use pans in production, place a few pans in the rearing house and manually add some feed. The males will learn to identify the pans as a feed source. Transfer the males a few days earlier (2 to 5 days) so they are specifically trained to eat from their new feeders before the females arrive to the production house.

After both sexes are in the production house, start the female feeder first and when all females position themselves, lower the male feeder system or start male feed distribution. With feed distribution in the dark, delivering feed can be simultaneous but give females access to their feeders about 1 minute ahead of males.

Separate sex feeding (SSF) allows the use of special male rations. Male diets are widely used in the industry. Furthermore, research and field results confirm that male diets improve fertility. Male rations with lower protein levels (13 %), a 2700 kcal (11.25 MJ/kg) energy level and 0.50 % available lysine, control male bodyweight and breast muscle growth. With specific male rations, it is even more important that the SSF system prevents females from eating out of the male feeder.

True SSF implies that males should not have access to the female feed and vice versa. SSF includes a male exclusion system placed on the female feeder (grill, roller bar, see illustration) and a separate line of pans, trough or tube feeders for the males. The exclusion grill should create both a vertical (60 mm or 2 3/8 in) and horizontal (46 mm or 1 13/16 in) restriction. In systems with a roller bar or wooden board – plank adjust the vertical restriction. Often, planks have three different height settings: 42 mm (1 11/16 in), 46 mm (1 13/16 in) and 50 mm (2 in). Begin at 21 weeks with 42 mm (1 11/16 in), then increase to 46 mm (1 13/16 in) in peak production and finally to 50 mm (2 in) at about 50 weeks of age.

Exclusion systems on a female track feeder – grill on the left and a roller bar on the right.

Male weight trends during production

The Cobb standard for male bodyweight is designed to keep the male light early in production – not
more than 4 kg (8.8 lb) at 30 weeks and have a consistent growth maximum of 25 g (0.06 lb) per week
from 30 weeks to depletion (approximately 4.7 kg (10.3 lb) at 60 weeks). Consistent, positive growth
during the first 4 weeks after photo stimulation, is important for testes development (see table below).

Common reasons for poor male fertility related to weight:

Excessive growth through 30 weeks (4.4 kg; 9.7 lb) and poor growth after 30 weeks due to insufficient feed amounts. In these flocks a number of the males will lose condition.
Excessive growth through 30 weeks, and bodyweight continuing to increase reaching 5.0 kg (11.0 lb) or higher at 50 weeks of age.

Normal growth through 30 weeks of age but insufficient growth thereafter results in many males losing condition, comb and wattle color. Over fleshed males (> 4 fleshing score) may have reduced mating efficiency due to incomplete mating. As males get too heavy their breast shape flattens, and they become unbalanced when attempting to mate.

Problems will occur if males are able to eat from female feeders after transfer. Males will gain excess weight and will need more energy for bodyweight maintenance. Females will not have enough feed and limit their development. Consider keeping male feed allocations constant until the combs develop to the point that they cannot eat from female feeders. Add the male feed increase to the female feeders until males cannot eat from female feeders.

Males should never lose weight in production. A loss in bodyweight of >100 g may cause a reduction in sperm quality based on the males’ condition. Monitor weights weekly and adjust feed accordingly.

Normally feed amounts are not decreased in males. However, if after 30 weeks, the male bodyweight increases too fast, reduce the feed by 5 g/male (1.1 lb/100 males/week) and monitor for 3 to 4 weeks until weight gain stabilizes This is one of the most important periods to decrease feed amounts for males as an emergency procedure.

To read or download the complete Cobb Breeder Management Guide or to view Cobb’s other management guides, click here.

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Instacart adds arsenal of Uber Eats restaurants to its app

Instacart and Uber announced a new and unexpected partnership on Tuesday that adds hundreds of thousands of Uber Eats’ restaurants to the Instacart app.

In the next few weeks, Instacart will add a “Restaurants” tab to its app, giving its customers access to Uber Eats.

Members of Instacart+, the company’s loyalty program, who place orders from Uber Eats-affiliated restaurants will receive the same offer — free delivery for orders over $35 — given to Instacart’s grocery customers.

Instacart noted in a press release that Instacart drivers will still fulfill grocery orders, while Uber Eats couriers will fulfill restaurant orders.

“Our goal is to make it effortless for people to go anywhere and get anything,” said Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi in the press release. “We’re excited that this new strategic partnership with Instacart will bring the magic of Uber Eats to even more consumers, drive more business for restaurants, and create more earnings opportunities for couriers.”

Instacart CEO Fidji Simo said the partnership aims to make it easier for Instacart customers “to conveniently tackle all their food needs from a single app.”

“Whether it’s ingredients for a beloved family recipe, a prepared meal from a nearby grocer or takeout from a favorite restaurant — customers can now get the food they want, from the retailers and restaurants they love, all within the Instacart app,” Simo said.

The partnership helps Uber by driving more orders to its restaurant partners, the company said.

Meanwhile, the new partnership poses a challenge to competitor DoorDash, which offers delivery both for restaurants and grocery stores, among other retail businesses.

DoorDash CEO Tony Xu said at the beginning of 2024 that the company aims to expand further into grocery in 2024.

As of January, DoorDash dominated restaurant delivery with 59% of the market, according to YipitData.

In mid-February, Xu said making grocery a priority has “paid off really well,” noting that more than 20% of its customers were using the app for non-restaurant delivery.

“I mean, we’re now north of 100,000-plus stores that are outside of restaurants that are on our platform, which, you know, we estimate to be the largest in North America,” he said during DoorDash’s Q4 earnings call in February. “More and more grocery retailers are coming inbound. And then similarly, more and more consumers are shopping for the first time in the grocery category on DoorDash even ahead of restaurants.”

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Is There More Protein in Egg White Cocktails?

Luscious and foamy, egg white cocktails are beloved for their creamy texture. Traditionally shaken into cocktails in the sour family, egg whites can soften a build’s more acidic ingredients and imbue a more velvety mouthfeel. But tastiness aside, egg white cocktails also have the potential to up your macros for the day. To learn more about the protein levels in egg white cocktails, VinePair spoke with Dr. Dervan Bryan, assistant professor of poultry science at Penn State.

Dr. Bryan explains that egg white cocktails do contain more protein than non-egg white builds, as long as the latter doesn’t contain another functional protein. When juxtaposed with classics like the Old Fashioned and the Margarita, an egg white cocktail will likely have an additional 3.6 grams of protein. Builds that contain a whole egg, like the Death Flip or a Strawberry Mezcal Flip, will contain even more.

It turns out that technique plays an important role in reaping the benefits of these whites. While alcohol stabilizes the egg white and kills any harmful bacteria during the shaking process — thus making it safe to consume — it doesn’t kill any of the protein. Instead, the booze and rigorous shaking alter the complex molecule, allowing the drink to take on that eye-grabbing, puffed-up head.

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“The egg albumen protein forms a very stable foam with the air inside the container during shaking,” Dr. Bryan explains. “When air is incorporated into the protein molecules in egg whites, the proteins stretch and unwind to form an elastic web encasing air bubbles.” He says that egg whites can actually expand up to eight times their volume, which is what gives these cocktails their signature foaminess. It’s within this foam layer where the majority of the protein resides, which will leech into the cocktail itself the longer the drink sits.

“Egg is the only natural food which has such powder foaming functional properties,” he says. “This foam can outlast any cocktail conversation, has a density that’s easily controlled, and will maintain its functionality in both hot and cold environments.”

While swapping post-run smoothies for Clover Clubs might not be in our future, a little extra sustenance on a night out certainly doesn’t hurt.

*Image retrieved from MONIUK ANDRII – stock.adobe.com

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Kraft Heinz puts innovation at top of its list

CHICAGO – Kraft Heinz chief executive officer Carlos Abrams-Rivera has only been in the top job since December 2023, but in his time with the company, he’s been pivoting toward more innovation, a more inclusive posture and an increased international focus.

Abrams-Rivera spoke to the Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference on May 30 in New York.

Kraft Heinz is a stronger and much different company than it was four years ago, he said, crediting a strategy of innovation and organic growth focused on consumers of the company’s well-known ketchup, macaroni and cheese and hot dog brands.

“I think that we cannot be growing a company in a competitive environment like food if we don’t invest in the marketing and understanding our consumer better,” he said.

Kraft Heinz is reportedly exploring a sale of its Oscar Mayer brand in an effort to refocus its portfolio following the company’s first-quarter 2024 sales drop of 1.2%. While Abrams-Rivera didn’t directly address a sale, he said the brand would see new packaging by the end of the year and noted there is now a plant-based version and a recent stuffed hot dog product.

At the same time, he said the company is going to be clear about what is expected for its businesses to maintain a dynamic portfolio.

“We’re going to continue — just like we looked at our Kraft Cheese business, we’re always going to look at opportunities,” he said. “But I will say we are very disciplined in how we think about those things.”

Abrams-Rivera described talking to the Kraft Heinz board about how the company didn’t have an innovation problem, although he added there was more to the issue.

“We had a good innovation problem, meaning we were throwing a lot of stuff out there, but the things are — would only be lasting for about six to nine months,” he said. “And it created a huge amount of inefficiency in a factory. It’s a huge amount of waste.”

Subsequently, Kraft Heinz has improved operations to focus on disruptive innovation “that is truly new to the world,” he noted.

Examples include intellectual property-driven innovations such as away-from-home, the Heinz Remix machine and the 360CRISP technology first used in grilled cheese sandwiches.

Parallel to the innovation piece is a focus on efficiency throughout the company’s manufacturing operations. Abrams-Rivera said Kraft Heinz has 38 different Agile@Scale pods, mostly in North America, and 19 of them have an embedded artificial intelligence solution.

The question now is how to deploy the solutions to enhance efficiency in company factories, in logistics and in the retail environment, he said.

One efficiency success story is the company’s Philadelphia cream cheese business, Abrams-Rivera said. It started with Kraft Heinz developers and engineers coming into a factory and working with a Microsoft developer and engineer to see how things were being run.

They found that sometimes the equipment would start breaking down and was only able to be fixed after the breakdown occurred. Sensors were put across the entire production line, and now they’re able to see what will actually be breaking down and can address it beforehand.

“Just on one line on one factory, it had been about $10 million in savings just on that,” he said. “That’s a model that now we’re taking to other parts of our company in order to continue to replicate.”

Abrams-Rivera also is focusing efforts on boosting sales in emerging markets, which currently comprise 10% of company sales. He sees an opportunity to continue to expand the portfolio geographically given its well-known brands.

“… (Heinz is) such an iconic brand that even in countries where we’re not present, there is a latent demand for our products,” he said.

Having Heinz bottles on restaurant tables in movies and television shows doesn’t hurt either, he noted.

Kraft Heinz is changing its corporate culture on Abrams-Rivera’s watch to drive additional transformation. There’s been a sense of ownership and ambition in the company, he said, and he wanted to take those elements and evolve them.

A previous sense of individual ownership shifted during the past four years to owning it together, Abrams-Rivera said. It implied an incentive for people to think long term about organic growth and focus on the company’s consumers, he added.

“… We’ve been around for 150 years, and now we have the team in place and the structure and the right priorities in order to be another 150 years also here in the company,” he said.

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Global Cold Chain Foundation launches Brazilian Institute

Brasilia, Brazil: The Global Cold Chain Foundation (GCCF) has launched its first Cold Chain Institute in Brazil. The inaugural class, made up of 31 students from seven different companies in the cold chain sector, took place from August 13- 15. The program covers a wide range of topics, from warehousing and refrigerated transport, to corporate communication and emergency planning

The GCCF is the nonprofit education, research, and international development partner of the Global Cold Chain Alliance.

Rodrigo Vassimon, member of the GCCF Council in Brazil and chief executive of SuperFrio Logística Frigoríficada, led the opening session. In his speech, he encouraged participants to make the most of this opportunity for learning and exchange of experiences.

The program, already well-established in countries such as Mexico, where it has been operating for 11 years, and Australia, with three years of activity, is expanding its reach to Brazil and Europe in 2024.

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Juan Estupinan as new president and CEO of Vestaron Board

The Board of Directors of Vestaron Corporation announced that Juan Estupinan has been appointed CEO, president, and board member effective immediately, following his tenure as interim CEO and President. Additionally serving as Vestaron’s Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, Mr. Estupinan brings extensive financial and business leadership experience across multiple industries and has the full support of the Board of Directors to advance the company’s strategic vision and priorities.

“The Board of Directors thoroughly reviewed its options and agreed that Juan Estupinan is the right leader for the organization as it enters a period of market growth and product expansion for its novel bioinsecticides. Vestaron is seeing continued market penetration in our focus regions in 2024, including development in several EU countries. The Board is confident in Vestaron’s long-term plan, its financial stability, and fully supports Mr. Estupinan and the Vestaron team in executing the company’s strategic vision to revolutionize crop protection,” Jim Collins, Executive Director and Chair of the Vestaron Board of Directors.

Board member Randy C. Papadellis, former President and Chief Executive Officer Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., added: “This appointment reflects our full confidence in Juan’s ability to guide Vestaron through its next exciting phase of growth and innovation. With his leadership and experience, Vestaron is well-positioned to continue delivering value for our customers, investors, and industry stakeholders.”

For more information:
Vestaron
www.vestaron.com

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North Sea O&G Licences Trigger Oceana UK Legal Action

Britain’s decision to issue dozens of new oil and gas exploration licences is being challenged in court by a marine conservation organization, which argues ministers unlawfully failed to consider the impact on marine life.

Oceana UK is taking legal action over 31 licences issued under Britain’s previous government in May this year as part of the North Sea Transition Authority’s latest oil and gas licensing round.

An exploration licence does not necessarily result in a producing field, though environmental groups argue that expansion of oil and gas production is inconsistent with the government’s target to become a net-zero carbon economy by 2050.

Oceana and other members of the Ocean Alliance Against Offshore Drilling this week wrote to Britain’s Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, asking him to concede Oceana’s legal challenge.

“By conceding the case, the government can make good on promises made to the public and signal a clear departure from the previous administration’s continuing reliance on fossil fuels,” they wrote.

Britain’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero declined to comment.

Oceana’s case is the latest challenge over fossil fuels as campaigners increasingly turn to the law to force governments to move more quickly on tackling emissions, with mixed success.

(Reuters)

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Unpacking the $35.9bn acquisition of Kellanova by Mars

Poised to become one of the biggest M&A headlines of the year, Mars – one of the world’s largest family-owned businesses – has inked an agreement to acquire Kellanova for $83.50 per share in cash, for a total consideration of $35.9bn.

The purchase of Kellanova is a cornerstone of Mars’ overarching ambition to double its snacking portfolio over the next decade: by expanding into more occasions and more categories. It unites two iconic 100-plus-year-old businesses with complementary footprints and brand portfolios.

“Both businesses are performing well, have outstanding brands, people-focused cultures, complementary portfolios, a commitment to sustainability, a true sense of purpose and a deep history of success over decades,” said Mars in a statement.

“This combination allows both businesses to achieve their full potential and together, we will have an exciting and unique opportunity to meet the needs of billions of consumers with trusted, loved and innovative products and create further opportunity for both businesses to achieve their full potential.”

Revamping the future of snacking

A major player in the confectionery space, Mars has been increasingly focused on diversifying into healthier snack options. The addition of Kellanova’s snack bar business – which includes megabrands like RXBar and NutriGain – will strengthen its presence in the growing market for better-for-you snacks. It reduces the candy maker’s reliance on its traditional confectionery products, which are typically high in sugar and chocolate-heavy, especially important as cocoa prices remain elevated, having reached historical highs in March of nearly $10,000 per metric ton.

Poul Weihrauch

It also gives Mars a stronger foothold in the competitive snack bar space, dominated by major snack players like PepsiCo (Quaker bars) and Mondelez (Clif Bar).

Mars will become a strong contender in the salty snacks sector, able to capitalize on the strong brand equity of Kellanova’s billion-dollar brands – Pringles and Cheez-It – that have established loyal customer bases and outperform category competitors, particularly with Gen Z and Millennial consumers. However, Mars believes there is still ‘untapped potential’ with many of Kellanova’s brands and as such, has ‘no plans at this time to sunset any’ of them.

The diversification will help the Chicago-headquartered company tap into new revenue streams, especially in fast-growing geographies like Latin America. Mars CEO Poul Weihrauch also told the media there is opportunity in places like China and Africa for the two companies to grow together. Mars has a larger footprint in China, while Kellanova is stronger in Africa.

This is reinforced by complementary routes-to-market, supply chains and local operations. The deal also brings together a global workforce with solid R&D capabilities and brand-building experience. By acquiring the well-established snack business, Mars will benefit from economies of scale and potential cost synergies. This could involve integrating supply chains, manufacturing processes and marketing strategies, ultimately leading to improved efficiency and profitability.

The agreement also plays into the CSR commitments of both companies. Kellanova has a long history of social and environmental leadership, and its Better Days Promise initiative complements the Mars Sustainable in a Generation Plan, which is delivering tangible progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. According to Mars, once the deal is finalized, Kellanova will become part of the Mars Net Zero commitment and align with the Mars Responsible Marketing code.

“We will honor the heritage and innovation behind Kellanova’s incredible snacking and food brands while combining our respective strengths to deliver more choice and innovation to consumers and customers,” said Weihrauch.

“We have tremendous respect for the storied legacy that Kellanova has built and look forward to welcoming the Kellanova team.”

Transaction details

The $35.9bn price tag includes all of Kellanova’s brands – its portfolio of snacks, international cereal and noodles, North American plant-based foods and frozen breakfast – along with its assets and operations.

The transaction price represents a premium of approximately 44% to Kellanova’s unaffected 30-trading day volume weighted average price and a premium of approximately 33% to Kellanova’s unaffected 52-week high, as of August 2, 2024. The total consideration represents an acquisition multiple of 16.4x LTM adjusted EBITDA, as of June 29, 2024.

Mars intends to finance the purchase through a cash and a debt financing commitment of $29bn from JPMorgan Chase and Citi.

The agreement was unanimously approved by both Mars’ and Kellanova’s Board of Directors. The WK Kellogg Foundation Trust and the Gund Family have also committed to vote in favor of the transaction (shares representing 20.7% of Kellanova’s common stock, as of August 9, 2024).

However, the transaction – which is expected to close in the first half of 2025 – is subject to regulatory approvals. There have been reports of proposed antitrust hurdles, with the US Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission under the Biden administration aggressively challenging big mergers and acquisitions. Others believe the deal is likely to pass regulatory muster as the two have very few overlapping product lines.

In the case of failure to obtain regulatory approval, Mars will have to pay a termination fee of $1.25bn. Kellanova will have to pay $800m to Mars if there is a change in board recommendation.

The agreement permits Kellanova to declare and pay quarterly dividends consistent with historical practice prior to the closing of the transaction.

Citi and law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom advised Mars. Goldman Sachs and Kirkland & Ellis advised Kellanova, while investment bank Lazard advised Kellanova’s Board of Directors.

What lies ahead

Upon completion of the deal, Kellanova will become part of Mars Snacking, led by global president Andrew Clarke. The combined company will be based in Chicago, although Kellanova’s Battle Creek-headquarters will remain a core location.

“This is an exciting opportunity to create a broader, global snacking business, allowing Kellanova and Mars Snacking to both achieve their full potential,” said Clarke.

“The Kellanova brands significantly expand our Snacking platform, allowing us to even more effectively meet consumer needs and drive profitable business growth. Our complementary portfolios, routes-to-market and R&D capabilities will unleash enhanced consumer-centric innovation to shape the future of responsible snacking.”

Steve Cahillane, Kellanova’s current chairman, president and CEO, said he would leave when the deal closes. Previously chair and CEO of Kellogg Company since 2017, Cahillane steered the conglomerate through a major restructuring that saw it split into two new entities. Kellanova was spun off from cereal-focused WK Kellogg Co. in October 2023, subsequently posting strong earnings and raising its guidance for FY24. Net sales in 2023 topped $13bn.

Kellanova has a presence in 180 markets and approximately 23,000 employees across the globe.

For its part, Mars brings in more than $50bn in annual sales for its household brands like Kind, Snickers, M7M, Dove, Pedigree and Whiskas, among others, and more than 150,000 associates across its Petcare, Snacking and Food businesses.

“Kellanova has been on a transformation journey to become the world’s best snacking company and this opportunity to join Mars enables us to accelerate the realization of our full potential and our vision,” said Cahillane.

“The transaction maximizes shareholder value through an all-cash transaction at an attractive purchase price and creates new and exciting opportunities for our employees, customers and suppliers.

“We are excited for Kellanova’s next chapter as part of Mars, which will bring together both companies’ world-class talent and capabilities and our shared commitment to helping our communities thrive. With a proven track record of successfully and sustainably nurturing and growing acquired businesses, we are confident Mars is a natural home for the Kellanova brands and employees.”

Mars has set up a dedicated website to provide ongoing information about the transaction.

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In Central America, Women Coffee Producers Lead the Charge in Battling Climate Change

Coffee plants undergo immense stress due to fluctuations in weather due to climate change. In a world of increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, coffee plants face a variety of stressors, from temperature variations to dry spells to intense rains.

Over the last few decades, climate change has altered how coffee producers run their farms. In response, women coffee farmers have moved to adopt weather-resilient practices such as increasing shade on farms, diversifying their crops, and moving to sustainable farming techniques.

We chatted with four women coffee growers across Central America and asked how they have adapted growing practices on their farms to combat the effects of climate change. Their work not only enhances their farms but also inspires others to adopt similar practices.

Faced with increasing climate fluctuations that endanger coffee crops, these producers implemented innovative strategies and sustainable practices to secure the future of their harvests. As a result, their efforts are driving a broader movement toward sustainability within the coffee industry in Central America.

Resilient Hybrids

Coffee plants require specific conditions to thrive: stable temperatures (ideally between 60-70°F), adequate rainfall (about 60 inches per year), and well-drained, fertile soil. However, climate change has severely changed weather conditions in coffee-producing countries, resulting in things like increased rainfall or drought.

Faced with these climate challenges, many producers are left to find innovative ways to help crops navigate harsh weather conditions.

One of the ways Tatiana Vargas, a Costa Rican coffee producer who manages her farm with her mother, has tried to adapt is by using hybrid varietals bred to withstand the impact of climate change. “Hybrids have stronger root systems and are robust and resilient against diseases,” says Vargas. “Also, climate change brings more pest infestations; by opting for hybrids resistant to these pests, you don’t have to rely on chemical pesticides that, in turn, harm the environment.”

Tatiana’s mother picking cherries at their farm in Costa Rica.

Ana Maria Schmidt, a coffee producer from El Salvador, has also invested in hybrids on her farm, Finca Montealegre. “Hybrids are important, but as agricultural specialists, we need to regularly monitor soil conditions, temperature, and moisture levels to ensure the coffee crop is growing properly,” she says.

However, Schmidt notes that she still needs to monitor plants closely and make changes based on the weather. “During climate changes, these varieties withstand rain and drought. But when there is a drought, there are also palliative measures that you can use, like an irrigation system.”

Coffee plants produce small, white flowers that are sweetly scented. These flowers bloom briefly and, once pollinated, give way to coffee cherries. Climate change can disrupt flowering, negatively impacting cherry development.

“With the rain issue, the plants suffer. The rain affects the plants, causing them to change their flowering cycle; some plantations even flower prematurely due to the humidity—inconsistent or excessive rain disrupts this natural phenomenon,” says Patricia Rios, a fourth-generation coffee producer from Guatemala. “When this happens, the flower dries up, and you lose the coffee cherry. This is why it is important to have stronger varieties where flowers withstand these conditions without compromising the quality of the cup.”

Leveraging Information and Technology

Data collection is vital in creating strategies to combat climate change: monitoring coffee plants enables farmers to track growing conditions, detect pests, and optimize irrigation schedules. By leveraging technology, farmers can make informed decisions to mitigate the impact of climate change and disease risks.

Many Central American countries have associations that help farmers with the technical aspects of production. “ICAFE (the Coffee Institute of Costa Rica) helps by providing information: they offer free soil analysis and manage an early warning system. They publish alerts about coffee rust and provide guidance on when to implement preventive measures against diseases,” says Vargas.

“ANACAFE provides environmental consulting and guidelines for sustainable farming,” Rios says of the Guatemalan coffee governing body.

Rios says that education and understanding the intricacies of coffee agriculture are also critical to fighting climate change. “We must learn to manage agriculture with products that are not destructive to our environment. We use mechanical management for soil cleaning, mowers, motor pumps, and fieldwork. We manage organic matter in our soils, [thus] improving them.”

Carmen Cartagena, a fourth-generation coffee farmer from Honduras, is constantly tweaking her crop management strategies. “We are closely monitoring and tracking every step of our coffee production process, from how we manage the crops during their growth to how we handle the coffee after harvest,” she says.

“We also carefully manage the post-harvest process, which involves ensuring that the coffee cherries reach optimal maturity and are properly laid out to dry. This meticulous approach helps ensure the quality and consistency of the coffee.”

Carmen Cartagena monitoring coffee plants at her farm in Honduras.

“Agriculture changes almost daily, and scheduling is important because it depends greatly on climate change,” says Cartagena. “You have to be flexible to take care of the plant until the end of the harvest so as not to lose quality.”

But truly, says Schmidt, it’s all about the soil. “We take care of our soil; if you take care of the soil, the soil will take care of your plants.”

Diversifying Crops In Microclimates

Although many of the effects of climate change are universal, each country has different territorial conditions. Cartagena has seen the impact of climate change in Honduras over decades. “When I was little, our farm was in an area with cold weather, abundant rain, and a pleasant climate. Forty years later, the area … [shows] clear signs of climate change. What used to be dense mountain terrain is now increasingly vulnerable to hurricanes. These hurricanes have devastated our water sources, leading to chaotic conditions.”

In Costa Rica, Vargas says she’s seeing more farmers encouraged to plant trees to help create diverse ecosystems on their farms. “Our farm has shade trees, with different species providing various benefits: some add nutrients to the soil, others offer shelter for birds and mammals, and there are also fruit trees. These trees not only help maintain soil quality but also support the environment.”

Ana Maria Schmidt with coffee cherries at her farm, Finca Montealegre, in El Salvador.

Cartagena is also diversifying the crops on her farm: she has 12,000 mahogany trees that provide shade and cooler temperatures. She encourages people to take proactive measures to combat climate change. “Much of the climate change issue is crucial,” she says. “If we don’t take action, it will be terrible for us and future generations.”

There are still serious discussions to be had around climate change, and actors across the supply stream should engage in climate mitigation practices. However, for farmers living with the reality and implications of unpredictable weather patterns, innovation is critical. “People thrive more when faced with environmental challenges,” says Cartegena. “Stepping out of our comfort zones leads to adaptation and positive change.”

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