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Company’s Energy-Independent Farm model, shows how a closed-loop between agricultural production and energy generation can make farming CO2-neutral

New Holland Agriculture is driving forward its Clean Energy Leader strategy, consolidating its leadership in alternative fuels and extending its scope with innovative solutions in the Specialty sector.

Carlo Lambro, New Holland Brand President, said, “We have pioneered sustainable, innovative solutions for some 14 years. We developed the Energy-Independent Farm model, showing how a closed-loop between agricultural production and energy generation can make farming CO2-neutral, or even carbon negative – with significant benefits for our customers. This year we are taking a further step into turning this into a reality, as our methane-powered tractor enters the New Holland range.” 

Methane-powered tractor to enter New Holland range in 2021

The first production unit of the T6 Methane Power tractor, a cornerstone of New Holland’s Energy Independent Farm concept, was presented at the Agritechnica show in 2019 and now targets full commercial availability in 2021. Field trials are in the final stages and by the first half of the year production units will be delivered to selected customers in Germany, France, Italy, the UK and the Benelux – all key markets for the T6 tractor where biogas production is advanced.

Clean Energy Leader strategy extends scope with new partnerships

The Clean Energy Leader continues to extend its scope to explore new areas of innovation through partnerships. The first one is with Italian Barolo wine producer Fontanafredda, in a project that aims to achieve carbon-free vineyard operations. The tractor tested in the Fontanafredda vineyards is powered on bio-methane, with the aim of accomplishing the first CO2-free wine production – an important step towards the decarbonization of the grape growing chain.

In another partnership, New Holland has developed with Italian implements producer Nobili an innovative concept for the electrification of implements for vineyards and orchards. It combines the New Holland T4.110V with an e-Source external generator compliant with AEF High Voltage guidelines. In an industry first, the generator driven by the tractor’s PTO is the only source of energy powering the new e-Sprayer and e-Mulcher.

Company’s Energy-Independent Farm model, shows how a

Osmocote has an improved Optimized Trace Element Availability (OTEA) system to match plants’ needs throughout the release programme 

 Taking ornamental plant nutrition and nutrient release to a new level, ICL has announced the launch of its 5th generation Osmocote controlled release fertilizer.  

“Delivering super-efficient and effective nutrient release, our new Osmocote 5 products have been painstakingly designed and developed to overcome specific nutritional challenges faced by growers using peat-reduced and peat-free growing media,” says ICL’s technical manager, Andrew Wilson.  “Extensively tested around the world, we are now looking for UK and Irish growers to work with to conduct nursery trials. 

“Osmocote 5 features unique nutrient matching release technology and an improved Optimised Trace Element Availability (OTEA) system to match plants’ needs throughout the release programme; the result are improved plant colour, health and growth.” 

Although trace elements are required in relatively small quantities compared to NPK, they play a vital role in biochemical metabolic processes. However, some trace elements – such as Iron and Copper – are highly reactive and often become unavailable to plants. 

“With Osmocote 5, the OTEA system means trace element release is super enhanced – for example iron is boosted by up to 300%,” explains Andrew. “Fully EDTA chelated, these trace elements remain soluble and therefore available right up until root uptake. There is also greater trace element availability at higher pH’s. This is particularly relevant in peat-reduced and peat-free growing medias, which inherently have a higher pH causing minor elements to become increasingly unavailable to plants.” 

Taking in to account the trend to reduce or eliminate peat, Osmocote 5 also features a slightly higher Nitrogen content to improve growth in these medias – which tend to have lower nutrient buffering capacity.  

“Put simply, Osmocote 5 safely delivers greater nutrient efficiency and effectiveness – which translates into improved quality plants as well as environmental benefits,” says Andrew.  

 

 

Osmocote has an improved Optimized Trace Element

The start-ups are evaluated on their technology, business strategy, leadership, and market positioning

  In recent years, the majority of growth in the food and beverage industry has gone to companies outside the top 20 players, with smaller and more agile brands capitalizing on the demand for personalized products and rapidly shifting consumer behaviour and the farm and fork growing more connected every year. 

Lux’s food and agriculture experts continuously monitor and evaluate these and other industry megatrends and events to target and analyse promising start-ups capable of capturing the opportunities created. These start-ups are evaluated on their technology, business strategy, leadership, and market positioning, and those companies awarded a “Lux Positive” or “Lux Strong Positive” rating were published in Lux’s market map “Top Food and Agriculture start-ups of 2020.” 

“Numerous challenges, from climate to COVID to human migration, aligned in 2020 to stifle growth across food and agriculture, laying bare technology, food, and health system weaknesses,” explains Josh Haslun, Ph.D., Senior Analyst at Lux Research.”

 The startups are categorized into four key trends the agrifood industry should be tracking:

Doing more with Less

Companies whose businesses rely on consumption for top-line growth – from foods to agrichemicals face pressure to diversify. Meanwhile, producers are reducing resource use, driven by concerns of affordability and scarcity. With the exception of new product innovations, linking services and products to measurable outcomes through digital integration is becoming increasingly important. 

Transformative innovations disrupt the entire Ecosystem

Major transformative innovations underlie the products and services that drive consumer markets; innovations in bioinformatics, POU sensing, and ingredient informatics are disrupting the space to reduce the cost of and resource investment in discovery.

Consumers’ relationships with health are evolving toward prevention and personalization –Prevention and personalization are reshaping consumers’ choices, empowering them to make lifestyle decisions that explicitly influence health outcomes. This will drive massive market potential.

 Haslun said, “This is not to say that the momentum towards the food company of 2050 or consumers’ relationships with health trends are underdeveloped. In fact, the strong presence of key ingredient developers and emerging presence of health IoT and personalized nutrition solutions are synonymous with momentum across food and agriculture. The collective result presents well the leading areas to engage and the types of players to interact with in 2021 as these trends continue forward.”

The named top start-ups include: TerraCycle, Aphea.Bio, Agrorim, Agritask, Montana Microbial, Solynta, FoodLogiQ, Ceradis Crop Protection, Supplant, ProAgni, Growcentia, SmartSolve, eLEAF, Plantix, SatAgro, Saturas, Azotic Technologies, Pacific GeneTech, Vibe Imaging Analytics, Enko Chem, Tropic Biosciences, Conagen, Descartes Labs, Brightseed, Lavie Bio, Biomeme, Ectosense, LifeFuels, Notpla, Prolupin, Inbiose, and Perfect Day.

The start-ups are evaluated on their technology,

The innovative facility will enable plant breeding to develop varieties up to four years faster than traditional research facilities

Benson Hill, a food tech company unlocking nature’s genetic diversity with its cutting-edge food innovation engine, has recently made two announcements that further the company’s ability to leverage the combined power of food science, data science and plant biology through its CropOS technology platform to accelerate and scale the delivery of novel plant-based food and ingredient options to meet rising global demand.

Benson Hill maps findings of consumer sensory panels, food formulation testing and farmer fields all the way back to the plant genomic level using advanced data analytics techniques. This enables the company to unlock the genetic diversity within crops and develop ingredients that are better from the beginning, creating new dimensions for food science and a suite of new opportunities for product innovation and differentiation using fewer and simpler ingredients.

With St. Louis-based venture capital firm Lagomaj Capital, Benson Hill is breaking ground on a new Crop Accelerator, a state-of-the-art, a controlled environment research facility located near Benson Hill’s new headquarters in the 39 North Innovation District.

The innovative facility will enable plant breeding to develop varieties up to four years faster than traditional research facilities and is part of the company’s contribution to a more responsive food system that reconnects farmers and consumers in more sustainable ways. The Crop Accelerator will allow rapid development of feed, food and ingredients positioning farmers and food companies to grow and deliver products with the attributes consumers are looking for, including improved taste and nutrition.

The innovative facility will enable plant breeding

It aims to develop seeds specifically designed for use in vertical indoor farm environments as well as other controlled environment agriculture (CEA) farming methods. 

Kalera , one of the fastest-growing U.S. vertical farming companies in the world and a leader in plant science for producing high-quality produce in controlled environments, announced the acquisition of Vindara Inc., the first company to develop seeds specifically designed for use in vertical indoor farm environments as well as other controlled environment agriculture (CEA) farming methods.

Vindara, based in Research Triangle, NC, uses genomics, machine learning, and computational biology along with traditional breeding methods to meet the market need for produce that is non-GMO, nutritious, high-yielding, and delicious. Vindara will be a fully owned subsidiary of Kalera and will operate out of Kalera’s headquarters in Orlando, Florida where Dr. Jade Stinson will continue in her existing role as Co-Founder and President. Together, the combined company will:

  • Significantly increase the output from Kalera’s current and future facilities by reducing grow cycle and providing higher yields
  • Lower costs of goods sold by reducing costs of seed and energy efficiency/automation
  • Significantly improve Kalera’s future EBITDA
  • Be better positioned to offer differentiated products and have improved ability to optimize color, texture, flavor, firmness and nutrient profile
  • Accelerate and expand Vindara’s seed research and development programs focused on the indoor farming sectors to support overall CEA market share growth.
  • Develop a strong product pipeline beyond leafy greens to include high yield basil, high yield spinach and high yield strawberries. 

“Kalera has always focused on being the most technologically advanced player in the vertical farming industry. With the addition of Vindara’s data-driven methodology, we will be the first vertical farming company with the ability to develop its own plant varieties bred specifically for indoor farming conditions. Our acquisition of Vindara complements our overall science-driven and innovation-leading value proposition. This investment represents an important strategic opportunity to increase revenue options to Kalera while reducing its cost of materials and reducing our cycle times given Vindara’s competitive advantages,” said Daniel Malechuk, CEO of Kalera.

 

It aims to develop seeds specifically designed

The plant is estimated to generate over 3,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities in the region

Hatsun Agro Product Ltd. (HAP), a leading private sector dairy company in India, with brands ‘Arokya’, ‘Hatsun’, ‘Arun Icecreams’, ’Ibaco’ has announced commercial production at its newly set up modern greenfield dairy processing plant in Solapur, Maharashtra.

The plant is the 19th manufacturing location for HAP that has a network of plants in four states of Tamil Nadu, AP, Telangana, and Karnataka. The fully automated dairy plant, one of the technologically superior plants in the country is set up in 72 acres land at a cost of 130 Crores in Solapur district in Maharashtra. The plant follows the latest design philosophy and has specialized imported equipment from Germany to process 6 lakh liters of milk per day (LLPD).

The emphasis of the design is on employee safety, product hygiene, and making products of the finest quality. HAP has also set up a water pond inside the factory premises for harvesting rainwater to the tune of 1.25 crore litres. This is a first in the region and the water saved can be fully treated and utilized for multiple purposes.

HAP will manufacture Milk, Curd, Butter Milk, Chaas, Lassi, yogurt and Shrikhand at the new plant. HAP will market them under prestigious household brand names – ‘Arokya’ and ‘Hatsun’. The total milk processing capacity of HAP now stands at 52.50 LLPD across all its manufacturing locations in 5 states.

Additionally, the setting up of this plant will help onboard dairy farmers to the mainstream network and will boost the income of over 75000 to 90000 dairy farmers in Maharashtra. HAP aims to provide greater support to farmers with access to the best technology, farm inputs, animal husbandry services, specialized cattle feed, and direct credit to their bank accounts for their milk supply.

 

The plant is estimated to generate over

This move not only provides better returns to farmers and entrepreneurs but also provides employment opportunities.

Manipur CM N Biren Singh has recently lauded the role of APEDA in supporting the organization of conference cum buyer-seller meets for local entrepreneurs at Imphal.

The meet was organized by Manipur Food Industries Corporation Limited and Department of Textiles, Commerce & Industry, Government of Manipur.

Singh said,”The Manipur government has started exporting black rice and other horticulture products in recent years. An outlet for organic products had been opened at Pune and the Manipur Government is planning to open such outlets in other metropolitan cities, he said. Such a move not only provides better returns to farmers and entrepreneurs but also provides employment opportunities.”

Speaking on the occasion, Singh said that the State Government has been putting in tireless efforts to make Manipur a self-reliant state under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat. He further stressed that fruits and vegetables produced in the state are more nutritious and of different taste compared to that of other states in the Country.

The inaugural of the conference was also attended by P Vaiphei, Additional Chief Secretary, RK Dinesh, Commissioner, Sunita Rai, Assistant General Manager, APEDA and officials and entrepreneurs.

This move not only provides better returns

Data Studio runs on the FarmRoad digital platform and allows data integration with other systems using open APIs.

Tech innovator WayBeyond is taking on Microsoft’s Power BI and Excel products to give growers an alternative solution for integrating all their business data into one digital platform.

Digital platform FarmRoad offers agricultural farmers Data Studio, an alternative to spreadsheets and other generic products.

Data Studio runs on the FarmRoad digital platform and allows data integration with other systems using open APIs. Once connected growers have access to real-time data all in one centralized view and can configure graphs and elements to their preference and role – from the grower through to the CEO.

“Historically the technology to manage your data was limited. Growers have gotten used to spreadsheets and other historical tools, however, solutions now exist that are specifically created for agriculture and can address some of the biggest pain points – access to real-time data and everything in one central view. This is what Data Studio now offers,” said Chief Technology Officer Jonathan Morgan.

 

Data Studio runs on the FarmRoad digital

Rooted.Co is a demand-backed supply chain solution for fruits and vegetables focused on quality, consistency and traceability

One of the fastest-growing agri-tech start-ups, Clover launched its direct-to-consumer brand “Deep Rooted.Co” with a consumer app available as “Deep Rooted” on the Andriod and iOS platform. Deep Rooted.Co is a demand-backed supply chain solution for fruits and vegetables focused on quality, consistency, traceability and a high degree of predictability.

Catering to a growing market opportunity, estimated close to $100Bn in the B2B and B2C segment for vegetables and fruits, starting with Bengaluru and Hyderabad, Clover will invest over $2mn in creating farmer-facing input-output technology, investing in supply chain and cold storage capacities and communication to grow the brand Deep Rooted.Co.

Deep Rooted.Co will focus on catering to an urban city’s need for fruits and vegetables via a “consumer demand-led cultivation” process. Deep Rooted.Co will follow an “omni-channel” strategy to cater to existing consumer shopping preference in the category and presence across modern and general trade.

Speaking at the launch, Avinash B.R. one of the co-founders at Clover said “With Deep Rooted.Co, our goal is to be India’s largest virtual farmer, facilitated by our full-stack agronomy intervention on the supply side; and an omnichannel presence, along with a consumer-facing app on the demand side. Consumers will get consistent access to zero-contamination, high-quality fruits and vegetables while farmers can experience up to a 3x increase in yield and income improvements.”

Avinash  added that Deep Rooted.Co will invest in growing its distribution from the current 150 modern trade and neighbourhood stores across Bangalore and Hyderabad to 500 and brand build to aggregate demand over multiple channels, including online via our own consumer app and web e-commerce presence. High-quality fruits and vegetables will be supplied primarily from its owned greenhouse and hydroponic farms and from a network of over 100 small-medium scale land hold farmers.

Also launched at the event was the Deep Rooted.Co consumer app, available for both Android and Apple users. Gururaj Rao, co-founder at Clover, who also leads the product and technology function said, “The Deep Rooted.Co app is a natural progression for us. We are aiming for upwards of 90,000 app downloads by the end of the year. Aside of shopping and regular promotions, we will also over time integrate product nutrition and storage advice, information on key farming practices and also take requests for farm visit schedules to share more around traceability and transparency.”

 

 

Rooted.Co is a demand-backed supply chain solution

App connects to Bluetooth scanners, scales, enabling GrowFlow customers to weigh plants individually offline

GrowFlow, a business management and compliance solution for cannabis wholesalers and retailers, has announced the launch of Harvest, a new mobile app, that enables GrowFlow customers to precisely weigh and measure their individual harvested plants while offline or away from a computer. Developed with cultivators in mind, Harvest integrates seamlessly with Bluetooth technology to connect with both scanners and scales.

Precision and accuracy are of the utmost importance when it comes to cannabis inventory management practices and government-run cannabis tracking. A large number of states, including Colorado, California, Oregon, Alaska, and Michigan, use Metrc, a state-mandated software application for tracking cannabis production and products in the cannabis industry, to facilitate cannabis compliance data reporting. Everyone from cultivators and manufacturers to retailers and distributors must comply with the Metrc reporting standards. However, each state has slightly different reporting requirements based on their unique regulations, and staying compliant within Metrc can quickly consume all of a business’ time and attention.

To be compliant in most Metrc states, cannabis plants must be weighed individually. Now, with Harvest, customers will have the ability to weigh plants individually through a connected scale while offline, syncing it with GrowFlow later on. This app is a tool designed to make customer operations as easy and efficient as possible.

The Harvest App was initially launched in Michigan and is currently available now, available on iOS, to all GrowFlow customers in any METRC state. The app is included in all GrowFlow subscriptions.

App connects to Bluetooth scanners, scales, enabling

By Dr Shivendra Bajaj, Executive Director, Federation of Seed Industry of India 

 

 

Agriculture sector in India helped in the speedy recovery of the economic growth post the pandemic. India’s agriculture and allied sectors helped the farm sector clock a growth rate of 3.4 percent in the financial year 2020-21. It is lower than the last year’s growth but is the best when compared with other sectors during pandemic. Despite the disruptions in the supply chain during the Covid-19- led lockdowns, Indian agriculture is set to perform better. 

According to the first advance estimates issued by the Agriculture Ministry, food grain production is expected to be 144.52 million tonnes in Kharif 2020-21 as against 143.38 million tonnes in the previous year. While oilseeds output would be lower, other commercial crops such as sugarcane, cotton are likely to do well. Interestingly, the cultivation of the majority of Rabi crops too have brought good news as the area under cultivation has seen an increase of 2.86 percent this Rabi season. Area sown under wheat has increased by 2.95 percent year-on-year in Rabi 2020-21 to 34.63 million hectares. For rice, the increase is over 16.63 percent. All this shows the resilience of Indian agriculture sector. 

Dr Shivendra Bajaj, Executive Director, Federation of Seed Industry of India, said “that while food production in many countries across the globe was hit, India appears to have taken appropriate measure that ensured farming processes did not get affected much and crop output remained satisfactory. In Russia, production of wheat has severely hit, causing Moscow to slow down exports. It has created huge gap between demand and supply, resulting in a surge in the international wheat prices. In past few days, wholesale wheat prices have increased by Rs 100 per quintal in India and the surge in international prices would certainly help farmers and traders earn more money. It would be crucial for the recovery”. 

The Government of India too has driven the food grain procurement process with required enthusiasm. Presenting the annual budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed that as many as 4.33 million farmers were benefited this year through procurement of wheat under minimum support price (MSP). The number was 3.55 million last year. Moreover, the government has increased agriculture credit target to Rs 16.5 trillion in the budget, which was focused on farmer upliftment keeping rural growth in mind. 

Overall, the farm sector in India looks to be on the path of recovery. There is a need to reform the agriculture sector for the required boost, support sustainable farming and consistent, assured profits for farmers, especially, in the wake of the government’s ambitious target of doubling farmers’ income. While the farm supply chain is almost back to the original state of affairs, the impetus should be on digitisation, science-based farm practices and value addition for the produce. 

United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has said that the coronavirus crisis made it requisite for the entire world to strengthen agriculture and food systems. The crisis has given an opportunity for all stakeholders to come together and discuss economic, environmental, social and technological challenges the farm sector is facing, and find solutions to ensure food security and fair farm remunerations.

By Dr Shivendra Bajaj, Executive Director, Federation

Sales growth was particularly strong at Fungicides – 8.5 % and Environmental Science – 11.5 %,

  In the agricultural business (Crop Science), Bayer increased sales by 1.3 percent (Fx & portfolio adj.) to 18.840 billion euros. The businesses in the Latin America and Asia/Pacific regions contributed to the increase, while declines occurred particularly in North America. Sales growth was particularly strong at Fungicides (Fx & portfolio adj. 8.5 percent) and Environmental Science (Fx & portfolio adj. 11.5 percent), with these businesses expanding in all regions. At Fungicides, Bayer posted sales gains in Latin America thanks to Fox Xpro™, which was launched in 2019. Sales also rose at Soybean Seed & Traits (Fx & portfolio adj. 2.3 percent). Greater market penetration in Latin America had a positive effect, while business in North America saw lower selling prices and volumes, mainly due to increased competition. At Corn Seed & Traits, sales remained at the prior-year level (Fx & portfolio adj. minus 0.5 percent). In North America, shifts in demand into 2019 and 2021 had a negative impact, while sales moved ahead in all the other regions. Sales at Herbicides declined by 1.0 percent (Fx & portfolio adj.), particularly because the company lost registrations – in some cases only temporarily – in the Europe/Middle East/Africa and North America regions.

 EBITDA before special items at Crop Science decreased by 3.8 percent to 4.536 billion euros. Business was particularly impacted by negative currency effects of 537 million euros, while the decline in sales in North America due to shifts in demand was also a key factor. By contrast, earnings benefited from the realization of cost synergies as the company progresses with the integration of the acquired business.

 

Sales growth was particularly strong at Fungicides

Gro Alliance partnership accelerates adoption of ZeaKal’s flagship plant trait, PhotoSeed™.

 ZeaKal  has announced steps to create a ’NewType’ of agriculture based on higher value and supply chain harmonization with the expansion of its Advisory Board and a partnership with Gro Alliance, the nation’s largest, independently owned contract seed corn and soybean seed production company.

“To meet the needs of today’s growers, producers, and consumers, we need a more equitable, resilient food system that prioritizes value over volume without overwhelming our planet. By building a NewType of agriculture that is more attuned to the end user, we can fully realize the value of our innovations and do our part to sustainably nourish the world’s growing population”, said Han Chen, ZeaKal co-founder and CEO.

Gro Alliance partnership accelerates adoption of ZeaKal’s flagship plant trait, PhotoSeed™. To restore value across the soy supply chain, ZeaKal is building a closed loop U.S. system to capture and share premiums from better composition, processing advantages, and improved sustainability metrics with farmers and producers. With this initial partnership, Gro Alliance’s fully integrated seed production and distribution establishes a foothold with an experienced and dedicated grower base. This partnership underscores the need to diversify farmer incomes and address consumer demands for nutrient rich crops and sustainably sourced grain.

Beyond Gro Alliance’s U.S. footprint spanning eight states from North Dakota to Indiana, its global operations provide ZeaKal with access to additional counter season seed expansion in Latin America. Soybeans with ZeaKal’s PhotoSeed trait will become available to U.S. farmers in the 2024 growing season.

 At ZeaKal, we are building a value driven “NewType” of agriculture to harmonize the needs of farmers and consumers. As a first step, ZeaKal announced the expansion of its Advisory Board to ensure the right insights and leadership across the supply chain have a seat at the table. New advisors include Jim Schweigert, president of Gro Alliance and 2nd Vice Chair of American Seed Trade Association, and Gordon Denny, who served as director of procurement at Bunge and currently advises the United Soybean Board and U.S. Soybean Export Council. 

 

Gro Alliance partnership accelerates adoption of ZeaKal’s

NaturalShrimp signs LOI to acquire Aquaculture assets of Hydrenesis Aquaculture, LLC 

 

 

NaturalShrimp, Inc., an aquaculture Company, which has developed and patented the first commercially operational Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) for shrimp, announced  that it has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to acquire the aquaculture assets of Hydrenesis Aquaculture, LLC for $12,500,000, consisting of $5,500,000 in cash and the balance due in NSI common stock. The acquisition is expected to be accretive to earnings in fiscal year 2021. 

Gerald Easterling, CEO of NaturalShrimp added, “NaturalShrimp has been working with Hydrenesis since 2018 on several solutions for the industry with the team at Hydrenesis. We currently have trials on going in Norway and Australia. The Company intends to immediately begin deployment of the technology in our hatchery and nursery systems. We also believe that the Hydrenesis technology will have major impacts on disease control in salmon, barramundi, and tilapia farming segments. We expect to file additional patents around the expansion of the application and use of the combined EC and Hydrenesis technology.”

 David Antelo, CEO of Hydrenesis, Inc., said, “We are excited for the next evolution of our relationship with NaturalShrimp. We have been exploring the application of ’Redox’ water treatment for several years. Our technologies’ ability to affect water chemistry and elevate water quality is proving to have a significant impact on growth and health metrics. Natural Shrimp’s bold vision and rapid growth trajectory make them the ideal partner for extending commercialization of Hydrenesis technologies to additional species applications.”

 

NaturalShrimp signs LOI to acquire Aquaculture assets