You. It's Monday the 29 January and you're listening to the Agtech Weekly review, brought to you by Igrown News and the Vertical Farming podcast. Hello and welcome to the Agtech Weekly Review, your goto source for the freshest stories shaping the CEA landscape, with your host, Natasha Coles. Each week we dive into the fast moving world of Agtech, where innovation meets sustainability, and where every story brings us closer to a greener future. Whether you're an Agtech enthusiast or just dipping your toes into the world of indoor agriculture, we've got something for everyone. Recent funding developments in Agtech Elo Life Systems nets $20.5 million raised in series A two financing Elo Life systems raised $20.5 million in a series a two financing round cold by DCVC Bio and Novo holdings. The company plans to scale its monk fruit sweetener, expand its molecular farming pipeline, and enhance crop protection efforts. Elo's approach combines molecular farming with sustainability goals to produce cost effective, ecofriendly ingredients. Their first product, a natural sweetener 300 times sweeter than sugar without calories, is set to launch in 2026. Infinite Roots secures €53 million in Series B funding in a Series B funding, round, Infinite Roots, previously known as Mush Labs, has successfully raised €53 million. This funding round is the largest ever for mycelium technology in Europe. The round was led by Dr. Hans Regal holding, with significant contributions from the EIC fund, Rewe Group and other investors. The funds raise will be used to expand production capacities and initiate global launch activities. According to CEO Dr. Mazen Risk, Infinite Roots is focused on creating sustainable mycelium based food products. The investment reflects the growing demand for sustainable food alternatives among consumers. Blue White Series C funding Achievement Blue White, an agricultural robot as a service company, raised $39 million in a Series C funding round led by Insight Partners. The company aims to scale its autonomous tractor and farming solutions globally and address challenges faced by agriculture. the market for autonomous tractors is projected to reach $11.5 billion by 2030. Blue White's innovative technology integrates AI and computer vision for autonomous farming tasks and offers real time, data driven farm management insights. Their solutions have already facilitated over 50,000 hours of autonomous farming activity across 150,000 acres in California and Washington. Arcturn Ventures secures $335,000,000 for climate tech fund Arcturn Ventures has announced that it has managed to raise $335,000,000 in commitments for its fund three, which is $35 million more than its original target of 300 million. The fund has attracted investments from major institutions such as TD Bank Group alliance and Credit Suisse Asset Management. Artterm Ventures focuses on early growth stage companies in North America and Europe aiming to maximize greenhouse gas reduction. Fund three is registered under the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulations as an article nine fund. The investments will be directed towards renewable energy, clean mobility and sustainable agriculture sectors. Neat Leaf secures $4 million in funding from Agfunder NeAt Leaf is an innovative platform for cultivation management that leverages AI data, and robotics to improve crop management and yield. The company has secured a significant funding of $4 million led by Agfunder, a foodtech and Agtech investor. The flagship product of Neat Leaf is the Neat leaf spider, an autonomous robotic platform that conducts comprehensive scans of indoor crops, generating extensive data for plant health and growth. With advanced data analysis, neat leaf technology can offer critical insights for crop management, detecting issues before they're visible to the human eye. Established in 2020, NeAt Leaf has a vision for efficient and sustainable cultivation and operates globally with a diverse team of experts. Cafe Bueno secures €6.2 million in investment danish bioscience company Cafe Bueno has secured a 6.2 million euro investment led by Boragard to scale up its coffee byproducts, upcycling technology and expand globally. Boragard has recognized Cafe Bueno's innovative approach and potential for bio based solutions and is investing in the business transforming coffee byproducts into high value products or niche markets. Focusing on personal care. Cafeil caffe and Cafe are examples of products already introduced by Cafe Bueno in the personal care industry. Utilizing upcycled coffee grounds. Phage Lab secures $11 million in funding Phage Lab raised $11 million in funding from investors including NASCAR Collaborative fund and water Lemon Ventures to tackle antibiotic resistance in the livestock industry. They use a proprietary microbial bioinformatics platform, AI and phage based solutions to create customized treatments for reducing antibiotics dependence. The funding will help expand their team, establish a commercial presence in Brazil and the US, and launch new products like inspector for Salmonella in poultry. Eatable adventures new 30 million euro investment funds for food tech startups Eatable Adventures has closed the first round of funding for the European Food Tech Acceleration Fund, one amounting to €30 million. The fund's primary objective is to invest in agri food industry seed projects based on technology, which includes spain, food tech and food seed programs. Despite the challenging economic environment, the food tech sector has exhibited resilience thanks to technological advancements and, collaborations. The fund has made initial investments of €6 million in nine food tech startups focusing on sustainability and efficiency in food production. Eatable Adventures has been a significant player in the growth and innovation of the food tech sector, with several successful projects in its portfolio. Agtech Research and development updates IBEARS receives a 3.3 million pound grant for research on clover the UK government has granted 3.3 million pounds for lagoon research to reduce fertilizer use and livestock agriculture emissions. The project aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from livestock farming by 78% by 2035. Scientists at Aberysworth University at Ibiz led the project focusing on red and white clover, and bird's foot trifle to improve livestock productivity while reducing dependency on chemical nitrogen fertilizer. The new leg project was funded by the UK government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Micropet Technologies US EPA classifies as MPD one micropet Technologies has announced that its peptide based biofungicide MPD one M has been classified as a biochemicallike active ingredient by the US Environmental Protection Agency EPA. This classification paves the way for MPD one's entry into the market as a less toxic alternative to conventional pesticides. MPD one is derived from a naturally occurring micropeptide found in tomato plants, making it nature derived and nontoxic. It has shown proven effectiveness in field trials for disease control and increasing crop yields, particularly in potatoes, soybeans and grapes across various global locations. Micropep has utilized an AI pipeline to generate an extensive library of antifungal peptides, ensuring the active, stable and producible nature of MPD one. With its broad spectrum of activities, MPD one is a sustainable solution for agriculture, meeting global disease control challenges while supporting regenerative farming practices. Sustainability initiatives in agricultural technology CNH Industrial latest news investing in eco friendly agriculture CNH Ventures are supporting nature's netwrap, a canadian startup to develop the first viable compostable net wrap for agricultural bales. The innovation is aimed at reducing approximately 2.5 million tons of plastic waste annually, which is created by traditional bale wraps that often end up in landfills and contaminate the soil. The market demand for chemical and plastic free solutions in agriculture is growing and the product launch is expected in 2024. The compostable net wrap is made from biopolymers m derived from renewable resources, providing a sustainable alternative to current veiling methods. This investment is part of CNH's broader initiative to promote sustainable agricultural practices worldwide. Regrow Ag Latest News transforming rice cultivation in the Mekong Delta regrow AG is part of the transforming rice value chains for climate resilient and sustainable development in the Mekong Delta project. Funded by DFAT and managed by SMV, the initiative focuses on Jiang, Don Thap and Kiangiang, critical to Vietnam's rice production and heavily impacted by climate change. Regrow's agricultural resilience platform measures sustainable farming practices. The project aims to involve 200,000 rice farming households in carbon markets, improving their livelihoods and reducing methane emissions. The TRVC project aligns with Vietnam's NDC goals aiming to generate significant carbon credits. RWE launches innovative agri PV plant in Germany RWE's Agri PV plant has recently started providing green electricity in North Rhine West Valleier, Germany. The plant was constructed in just five months and is located on a seven hectare plot of recultivated land near the Gar wheeler opencast mine. The project aims to explore the coexistence of solar power generation and agriculture by utilizing three unique agri PV configurations for diverse crop cultivation. The project is supported by two research institutes and is part of the progress NRW Climate and Energy Transition program. Agoro Carbon alliance surpasses 2 million acres in sustainable ag practices across the US. Agoro Carbon alliance has registered 2 million acres in sustainable agricultural practices in the United States. This registration is projected to capture more than 7.5 million tons of carbon during the contractual periods. The company's rapid expansion indicates an increased interest in carbon farming and ranching. Magoro Carbon's program focuses on agricultural sustainability, increased profitability for producers, and substantial contributions to climate action. With the help of Yara International support. Agoro Carbon utilizes crop nutrition and sustainability expertise Bioseries Crop solution releases global greenhouse gas Emissions report BioSeries Crop Solutions Corp. Has recently published its greenhouse Gas Emissions report for the fiscal year 2023. The report outlines the company's emissions from scope one and two across all operations in Argentina, Brazil, Estonia and the US. BioSeries has made significant reductions in emissions by switching to renewable energy and investing in energy efficient utilities. In the FY 23 greenhouse gas emissions report, the company recorded 8187 metric tons of CEO two e with a 33.7% global scope two emissions reduction CEO Frederick Tuco emphasizes the company's commitment to reducing emissions in agriculture and enhancing sustainability in its operations. Technological advancements and partnerships in agriculture Ag culture partners with farmwave AG Culture has announced an exclusive partnership with Farmwave's harvest vision to provide yield loss monitoring services in Australia. Promising results were obtained during initial trials carried out in the 2023 to 2024 australian harvest season, which showed a significant reduction in grain loss. The technology aims to address the issue of approximately $800 million worth of grains lost annually during harvest in Australia. The collaboration will continue into the 2024 to 25 season, during which the technology will be tailored to australian conditions. The adoptional farm waste solution in Australia, which is the fifth country and third continent to do so, demonstrates its global applicability. FBN unveils new crop protection products farmers business network FBN has announced the introduction of ten innovative crop protection products to its range, significantly expanding its offerings to canadian farmers. The new products are specialized for wheat cultivation, with eight items designed specifically for wheat growers, including FBN Pro, FBN 24 D and several wheat co packs. In addition, FBN has launched a digital crop protection planning system called FBN Acre Plans, which aims to optimize input planning when purchasing for growers. Company has also expanded its delivery network, ensuring that 97% of growing acreage in Canada is within a 250 miles radius of an FBN logistics center. The launch of these products highlights FBN's commitment to boosting the profitability and efficiency of canadian farmers operations John Deere Latest News 2024 Startup collaborator program participants Deer and Company has recently launched its 2024 Startup collaborator program, featuring six innovative startups. The program aims to integrate advanced technologies into agriculture and construction and focuses on mutual learning and exploring new methods to enhance customer value. According to Dennis Mulzalki, VP at John Deere, the selective startups specialize in various fields including satellite based land analysis, artificial intelligence, quantum sensing, bi directional charging platforms, digital logistics solutions and production management software. The initiative addresses diverse challenges and opportunities in the agricultural and construction sectors, underscoring John Deere's commitment to advancing agricultural and construction technology. This program reinforces John Deere's position as a global leader in these industries. Corporate and legal news in Agtech ADM Latest News class action lawsuit filed for alleged securities fraud the class action lawsuit has been filed by block and Livington LLP against Archer Daniels Midland Company and certain executives for securities fraud. The lawsuit pertains to the period from April 30, 2020 to January 22, 2024. ADM is accused of making false statements and failing to disclose material facts about its nutrition segment's performance and accounting practices. The lawsuit alleges that ADM improperly accounted for its nutrition segment, falsely inflating its growth and financial results. ADM's CFO, Vikram Luther, has been placed on leave during an investigation into the company's accounting practices, particularly on the nutrition segment.

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