https://grownewsus.com/GrowNewsUS: a digital journal on American AgriTech, clean energy, heartland startups, advanced manufacturing, markets and grants, written with momentum and labelled with care.en-ushttps://grownewsus.com/stories/biotech-scaleups-corn-sugar-packaging-resins.htmlhttps://grownewsus.com/stories/biotech-scaleups-corn-sugar-packaging-resins.htmlMon, 05 Oct 2026 05:49:00 -0500AI & ManufacturingIn this illustrative scenario, two young companies in Austin and Columbus say modular fermentation reactors can turn Midwest corn sugar into biodegradable packaging resins at industrial scale.https://grownewsus.com/stories/predictive-soil-models-nitrogen-runoff-mississippi.htmlhttps://grownewsus.com/stories/predictive-soil-models-nitrogen-runoff-mississippi.htmlMon, 05 Oct 2026 03:28:00 -0500AI & ManufacturingMachine-learning models that forecast field-level nitrogen needs are helping growers apply less fertilizer at better times, according to early results from a watershed pilot.https://grownewsus.com/stories/tennessee-gigafactory-solid-state-prototype.htmlhttps://grownewsus.com/stories/tennessee-gigafactory-solid-state-prototype.htmlMon, 05 Oct 2026 01:54:00 -0500AI & ManufacturingA fourth Tennessee Valley battery plant has begun assembling solid-state prototype cells on a pilot line, which its operator calls the bridge from lab to production.https://grownewsus.com/stories/soil-chemistry-probes-salinity-california.htmlhttps://grownewsus.com/stories/soil-chemistry-probes-salinity-california.htmlSun, 04 Oct 2026 18:51:00 -0500AI & ManufacturingIn-ground sensors that stream salinity and moisture readings every few minutes are helping Central Valley growers time irrigation before salts build up, an illustrative pilot suggests.