The dairy company Land O' Lakes doesn't just sell butter. The brand is also a cooperative with over 3,600 members through its Farmer to Fork approach and is aware of the unique struggles American farmers face, specifically with the recent trade tensions.
The Trump administration has been involved with trade disputes for nearly two years, but Land O' Lakes CEO Beth Ford says the recent USMCA agreement was a major win. "The passage of USMCA is a big victory. Overall economy-wise it's about $1.4 trillion in sales," Ford told Cheddar.
However, some of those sales might not be coming from milk products. As consumers switch to more non-dairy products, milk consumption has seen a drop in sales with the market growth of almond and oat milk. But Ford said that dairy consumption hasn't been stronger. "Dairy prices have come down, but there is still growth in the sector. Cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream, all of those areas are growing."
During this time of year there is a peak in demand for butter, and to keep up with it Land O' Lakes has teamed up with the Silicon Valley startup Plus.ai to meet consumers' needs.
With the help of Plus.ai Land O'Lakes was able to complete the first-ever 2,800-mile coast-to-coast delivery with an autonomous truck in less than three days. There was a driver aboard at all times, but the truck drove itself the entire way. Still, "capacity is tight because driver shortages continue to be a pressure on sectors," Ford said.
The company plans to continue to work with innovative partners and digital suppliers to improve customer experience. "So, with this autonomous vehicle, we can see the pathway to the future," Ford said.
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A rare magnum of Dom Pérignon Vintage 1961 champagne that was specially produced for the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana has failed to sell during an auction. Danish auction house Bruun Rasmussen handled the bidding Thursday. The auction's house website lists the bottle as not sold. It was expected to fetch up to around $93,000. It is one of 12 bottles made to celebrate the royal wedding. Little was revealed about the seller. The auction house says the bids did not receive the desired minimum price.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
OpenAI has appointed Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief of revenue. Dresser will oversee global revenue strategy and help businesses integrate AI into daily operations. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently emphasized improving ChatGPT, which now has over 800 million weekly users. Despite its success, OpenAI faces competition from companies like Google and concerns about profitability. The company earns money from premium ChatGPT subscriptions but hasn't ventured into advertising. Altman had recently announced delays in developing new products like AI agents and a personal assistant.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
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