Carbon removal megadeals, robot cowboys, RNAi for crop protection, regenerative organic, and a “harrowing” year in alt meat

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This big news this week… A flurry of carbon removal megadeals from Microsoft, which teamed up with Indigo for soil carbon removal, Varaha for biochar, and Rubicon Carbon for forestry.

Elsewhere… a cash injection for biopesticide startup SenseUP, which is tackling the twin challenges of cost and stability in RNAi-based crop protection.

Plus:

- Robot cowboys: GrazeMate on fully autonomous cattle mustering drones

- “Regenerative organic": Lundberg Family Farms on how to get certified

- Group therapy: Alt-meat startups on surviving a “harrowing” year

And finally… If you’re an investor in the food & ag space, please take a few minutes to complete our annual investor survey, which will feature prominently in our upcoming global agrifoodtech investment report.

Have a fantastic week! Louisa, Jenn, and Elaine.

And a big thanks to this week's sponsor:

Exclusive: SenseUP raises $3.5m to advance dsRNA-based biopesticides that address cost, stability hurdles

The challenge is finding microbial hosts that will both protect the dsRNA and produce it cost effectively in high amounts, says the firm. Elaine Watson

Varaha signs major offtake agreement with Microsoft for biochar carbon removal in India - AgFunder portfolio co!

Buyers look for CDR project developers with a track record in large deals and capital raising, plus the ability to scale, says CEO Madhur Jain. Elaine Watson

Robot cowboys: GrazeMate bets on fully autonomous cattle mustering drones

GrazeMate utilizes proprietary reinforcement learning models that enable drones to autonomously respond to cattle behavior in real-time. Elaine Watson

New human clinical study puts botanicals into the GLP-1 spotlight

The research has generated interest from firms in food & supplements as consumers seek natural alternatives to GLP-1 drugs. Elaine Watson

Scaling out, not up: foodtech leaders rethink growth at Tufts event as capital dries up

"When you start an email [to an investor] with, ‘Hey, I'm Mike from a plant-based meat company in Boston,’ it's like, ‘delete.'" Elaine Watson

ClimateAi targets key ag pain point with new GDD tool, embeds AI into workflows

“Over the past year it has been clear how important it is to be able to roll out AI tools very quickly," says the firm. Elaine Watson

What it actually takes to become ‘regenerative organic’—even if you’ve been doing it for a century

Lundberg Family Farms' focus on soil health, conservation, and organic growing stretches all the way back to the 1930s. Jennifer Marston

AgriFood Signals: SAP & Syngenta partner, BASF buys biocontrol startup, Microsoft’s record deal with Indigo

Plus: Beyond Meat launches protein beverages. Jennifer Marston

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Exclusive: Biographica raises $9.5m for AI-driven crop design, unveils partnership with BASF

We can now edit genes with precision, but the process of determining which ones to target remains costly and slow, says the UK-based firm. Elaine Watson

Exclusive: Meati Foods property seized for non-payment of taxes

A warrant commands the Adams County treasurer to seize “goods, chattels, and equipment” to cover $6.7m in unpaid property taxes. Elaine Watson

New US dietary guidelines elevate meat and full-fat dairy, ignite protein debate: ‘Most Americans already eat plenty’

Americans are now advised to nearly double protein intakes, consuming 1.2-1.6g per kilo of bodyweight per day vs the current RDA of 0.8g. Elaine Watson