AgFunderNews reports on the evolution of the global food and agriculture system. By going beyond the headlines, we analyse the people, companies and technologies aiming to improve human and planetary health. Publishing daily news, our team of award-winning journalists delivers deeper insight on the growing foodtech, agtech and climate tech industries. A multimedia publication, AgFunderNews is a division of AgFunder Inc, one of the world’s most active agrifoodtech venture capital firms.
Horizon Organic drops 'carbon positive' goal, Olam shutters Jiva, a 'quantum leap' in soil carbon quantification, FBN talks AI, and Prime Roots bucks alt meat gloom
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Five years ago, Horizon Organic committed to becoming 'carbon positive' by 2025. It has since quietly sunset that goal and shared its new strategy with Catherine Boudreau. Meanwhile, Perennial secured a green light from Verra for its digital soil mapping tool, Artio gave us the lowdown on carbon insurance, and Arva CEO Jay McEntire explained how to quantify the impact of regen ag. Elsewhere, John Deere acquired GUSS Automation, FAIRR issued a stark warning on water insecurity, CPG co-manufacturing platform Rescale called its quits, and Prime Roots cofounder Kimberlie Le shared some good news amid the alt meat doom and gloom. Finally, with World Agri-Tech and Future Food-Tech in London fast approaching, Jenn Marston rounded up the latest in UK agrifood. Have a great weekend! Louisa, Elaine, and Jenn And a big thanks to this week's sponsor:
Top 100 VC: AgFunder was recognized by TIME as one of America’s top 100 VC firms in 2025 More on our top-tier firm and upcoming opportunities here: AgFunder Fund V Meet us at upcoming events: London - We're hosting an industry insights breakfast for corporate, family office, and institutional investors alongside the World Agri-Tech Summit next month. Apply to attend here. Japan - We’ll be at SKS Japan in October. Stay tuned for updates on our sideline events. Is your business ready for AI analytics? Find out more here Exclusive: Horizon Organic quietly ditches ‘carbon positive’ goal; pursues new insetting strategy Horizon Family Brands will announce its new sustainability goals centered on carbon insetting by the end of this year. Catherine Boudreau The firm cited the “expected continuing investment” needed to sustain the business during “these challenging times and difficult marketing conditions.” Jennifer Marston John Deere makes another high-value crop automation play with GUSS acquisition The acquisition follows a joint venture between the two companies that began in 2022. Jennifer Marston CPG co-manufacturing platform Rescale folds a year after $2.3m seed round "We were tangled up in business model viability instead of building a truly lovable product first, and this led us to build for a slightly different customer than the one we knew deeply," says CEO Julia Megson. Elaine Watson Fermelanta nets $13.6m to engineer microbes for complex plant metabolite production Japanese startup Fermelanta produces valuable compounds in E. coli using a multi-step gene transfer technique that enables the introduction of an “unprecedented number" of genes. Elaine Watson Bayer has chosen Perennial as one of its MMRV partners due to its "exceptional ability to deliver precise results with minimal sampling." Elaine Watson Prime Roots bucks alt meat gloom: ‘We’re seeing steady growth in all the markets that we're in’ Prime Roots is "seeing steady growth in all the markets that we're in and opening up new territory as well," says cofounder Kimberlie Le. Elaine Watson For investors, the cost of inaction around growing water scarcity will be ‘significant,’ says FAIRR Water insecurity will be “one of the defining financial and economic challenges of the next few decades,” particularly where intensive animal agriculture is concerned, says investor network FAIRR. Jennifer Marston Plus: Lights out for UK-based biotech startup CellRev. Jennifer Marston 12 months of UK agrifood strategy—and where it’s headed next Stay up-to-date on the latest developments in UK food and ag policy and tech initiatives. Jennifer Marston Carbon insurance evolving from ‘nice to have’ to ‘must have’ in today’s carbon markets, says Artio Artio promises companies buying carbon credits a way to manage risks in early-stage carbon removal projects. Jennifer Marston Building the GHG accounting toolbox: Arva scales payouts for regenerative ag Does regenerative agriculture pay? In a word, yes, says CEO Jay McEntire. “We paid out $20m to farmers engaging in regenerative practices in 2023, $40m+ in 2024, and we’ll pay out more this year.” Sponsored post "We’re entering the golden age of robotics in industry in general and in agrifood in particular," says Eric Archambeau. Elaine Watson “Artificial Intelligence is enabling us to provide our farmer members with more personalized and relevant insights,” explains CEO Diego Casanello. Jennifer Marston The message is clear: LATAM is not only catching up, it’s starting to lead when it comes to agrifoodtech and climate tech innovation. By guest contributors Beatriz Ponce de Leon and Florencia Solari Can regenerative agriculture be profitable? Arva's new whitepaper, The Guide to GHG Accounting: Pathways for Agricultural Supply Chain Decarbonization, shows companies how to reduce emissions and support farmers while verifying the results with a credible accounting framework. Built for companies and leaders that are ready to take action, download the guide here to help advance your decarbonization strategy. Rich Products Ventures MD: ‘We have to get results, but we don’t have to answer to Wall Street’ Do corporate venture arms bring credibility and customers—or conflicts and constraints? And what role do they play in an investment landscape that looks markedly different than it did a few years ago? Elaine Watson The merger is first and foremost about offering “superior product at scale,” says 80 Acres cofounder and CEO Mike Zelkind. Jennifer Marston Soybean farmers urge Trump to cut a deal with China: ‘We cannot survive a prolonged trade dispute’ China "currently has zero new crop export orders for US soybeans on the books for marketing year 2025/26," claims the American Soybean Association. Elaine Watson Farmers feel fertilizer price squeeze as tariffs hit ag sector Farm Policy News Fargo, North Dakota, is a new AI hub in the Midwest tech boom Forbes The carnivore diet: red meat for influencers, but bad news for health The Guardian New law bans Arkansas universities from farm research with China, Russia Arkansas Democrat Gazette Agriculture emissions expected to increase in the coming decades Civil Eats Japan’s most successful food startup is eyeing humanoids as the next big thing The Spoon Regenerative agriculture: a movement, a mindset and... a religion? Agtech ecosystem – what do 12 months of M&A activity in agtech tell us? Hoover Institution CH4 Global selected as international agtech startup of the year - Featuring CH4 Global! Asia Food Journal Scottish firms behind world-first GigaFarm in Dubai - Featuring IGS! Fruitnet Using precision technology to improve weed management - Featuring Verdant Robotics! Brownfield Ag News
2025 Developing Markets AgriFoodTech Investment Report 2025 Global AgriFoodTech Investment Report 2024 Asia Pacific AgriFoodTech Investment Report 2024 Africa AgriFoodTech Investment Report 10 years in agrifoodtech: our exclusive 83-page e-zine! 2024 India AgriFoodTech Investment Report Climate Capital: Financing Adaptation Pathways for Smallholder Farmers Klim (Berlin, Germany) Agriculture and farm data verification analyst, fixed term contract Klim (Berlin, Germany) Bee health sales rep, Mexico GreenLight Biosciences (Mexico) Manager of global distribution and trade compliance Apeel (Valencia, Spain) TrueFruit model builder (contract) Aerobotics (Cape Town, South Africa) Future Fields (Edmonton, Canada) Biodiversity credit, international sales (senior) 3Bee (hybrid/Milan, Italy) Retailo Technologies (Islamabad, Pakistan) GreenLight Biosciences (California/Arizona/New Mexico) ♥️ our newsletter? Forward to a friend or subscribe here |
AgFunderNews
AgFunderNews reports on the evolution of the global food and agriculture system. By going beyond the headlines, we analyse the people, companies and technologies aiming to improve human and planetary health. Publishing daily news, our team of award-winning journalists delivers deeper insight on the growing foodtech, agtech and climate tech industries. A multimedia publication, AgFunderNews is a division of AgFunder Inc, one of the world’s most active agrifoodtech venture capital firms.
Another vote of confidence for farm ‘bots this week, with Orchard Robotics raising $22m hot on the heels of recent rounds for 4AG Robotics, TRIC Robotics, and Saga Robotics. Meanwhile, Atarraya is expanding high-tech shrimp production in New Jersey as tariffs on exporters in India, Indonesia, Ecuador, and Vietnam spark fresh interest in domestic alternatives. Elsewhere, Sea Forest signed a deal with Orffa to distribute methane-busting feed supplements; NoPalm Ingredients unveiled plans for a...
It’s been another action-packed week in agrifoodtech with a merger between indoor ag heavyweights 80 Acres Farm and Soli Organic and sizable funding rounds from mycoprotein co The Better Meat Co and AI-powered CPG manufacturing platform Keychain. On the policy front, Jenn Marston caught up with The Rockefeller Foundation on food is medicine programs, leaked versions of the MAHA report frustrated food policy experts, new details emerged on the US/EU trade deal, and US soybean farmers warned...
This week, BinSentry raised a cool $50 million for its feed management tech, Hyphen bagged $25 million for its automated makelines, Saga Robotics netted $11.2 million to expand its fleet of ‘bots blasting powdery mildew with UV-C light, and Seadling launched a second facility for producing seaweed-based functional ingredients. Elsewhere, is RuBisCO, the most abundant protein on the planet, finally ready for prime time? We grilled Leaft and Plantible: two key players attempting to turn the...