Agriculture news & innovations: is the drought here to stay?

Are the droughts in the US only the beginning? Will the biotech companies take this opportunity to produce maize with better tolerance? And how did the agricultural inventions look like in 1862? All the answers, and other interesting links – in this post

Hello again, 

A part of my job, as you may have learned from my previous post, is to track the latest agricultural news. This task is very interesting, since the world of agriculture keeps changing all the time, almost on a daily basis. 

As for now, the agricultural world is still dealing with last season's drought, and there's already a warning about a new weather threat regarding the next season. Drought may have brought new opportunities for biotech companies, but new research raised again the debate on GM crops. 
Once again, here are links to interesting & important news, and some other Agri-innovation items: 

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The drought effect on food price: according to the United Nations' food agency, the world food prices rose in September, and are remaining close to the levels reached during the 2008 food crisis. 
https://tinyurl.com/9n35pb9 

Preparation for the new season after the drought: IPNI Plant Nutrition articles: " Drought: Fertilizing for the Next Crop" 
https://tinyurl.com/8krfl9h 

New weather threats: 
Experts are predicting a weak El Niño this winter. Here's what that means: 
https://tinyurl.com/8ws2txz 
https://tinyurl.com/8gchjnm 

Recent droughts could be the new normal? 
https://tinyurl.com/9d4dvkr 
Drought brought an opportunity for biotech companies that produce drought tolerant GM maize: 
https://tinyurl.com/8rnntcb 

But a new research paper looks set to harden public and political opposition for GM crops, despite a torrent of skepticism from scientists about the work. 
https://tinyurl.com/8cgxofq 

Two agri-innovation news: 
Landsat Satellites Find the 'Sweet Spot' for Crops: 
https://tinyurl.com/8nbtegx 

Agricultural Robots Face the next frontier: Harvest 
https://tinyurl.com/8d95a9v 

And a blast from the past: 
Agricultural Inventions from 1862. A Look Back in Scientific American's Archives 
https://tinyurl.com/8c8x423