Patrick Smith

Florida sued over lab meat ban, winter wheat planting is underway, and USDA to allow H5N1 vaccine trials for dairy cows. Farmer confidence is falling, Impossible and Motif end legal dispute, and a new app matches strangers for a meal. Common questions I get from ag stakeholders: What #agtech should I be looking for? Do I need agtech? Where do I go to find the right agtech? What should it cost? It’s difficult to navigate the dynamic agtech landscape. We could use a trusted advisor in agtech. The agtech entrepreneurs that become trusted advisors will unlock enormous value. I’ll explain how in this week’s newsletter. #agtechfriday #agriculture #advisor #trust #startups #innovation #trustedtech #agtwitter #agtechadvisor https://lnkd.in/gBgcGDEy

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AgTech Ecosystem - looking forward to joining Renée Vassilos (Director of Agriculture Innovation for The Nature Conservancy), Charlie Andersen (CEO of Burro), Michael Roth (Director of Conservation and Innovation - PA Dept of Agriculture), and Fred Slezak of Lone Maple Farm tomorrow at the Ag and Robotics Summit in Pittsburgh. It's day 1 of the Summit, and we'll help kick things off on the opening night with the panel leading right into the reception. The topic will be Ag Robotics - what will drive it and what are some of the macro trends? Renee has the moderator chair. Charlie brings the perspective of a successful specialty crop AgTech automation startup that is starting to achieve scale - and he's been at the front on this journey as founder and CEO. Michael will bring the perspective of the PA Department of Ag and the role the state can play in facilitating innovation. Fred brings the most important role - the grower using the AgTech. I bring the specialty crop automation topic to the table, and for specialty crops it's all about getting more of the key labor task areas automated with economics that work for the grower. At the moment, things look good for weeding, thinning, spraying, planting, and harvest assist. On the not so good side - harvest will still be a while. On the emerging front, AI is accelerating a lot of development work for AgTech startups and the massive data sets the robots are capturing will help the acceleration even more once we figure out how to make it all interoperable. Thanks to Maialen CAZENAVE and Gwendoline Legrand, our FIRA USA partners at GOFAR (Global Organization for Agricultural Robotics), for helping to organize and promote the event. It will be a fun couple of days at the Robotics Factory! (Did I mention FIRA USA will be Oct 22-24 in Sacramento/Davis?) #agtech #robotics #carnegiemellon https://lnkd.in/gzGZEqzh

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Great article on the growing investments into regenerative agriculture strategies. Thx to The Conservation Finance Network for profiling Conservation Resources' farmland investment strategy. #farmlandinvestment #regenerativeagriculture

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Like and share with fellow entrepreneurs in your community. Unlocking the Future of Farming with Precision Agriculture! Join Paul Schickler, Former President of Corteva Agriscience, as he shares his insights on how precision agriculture is transforming the industry. “Precision agriculture aims to optimize input usage and minimize costs while maximizing productivity and environmental sustainability. By providing farmers with access to necessary inputs and effective management advice, we can ensure that resources are used efficiently and effectively.” Don’t miss this enlightening discussion on sustainable farming practices! Subscribe to the Roots to Foods Podcast now to stay updated on the latest in agriculture and sustainability! ACDI/VOCA AV Ventures LLC Tanager Mavis Amedegbe Mukanda Asha, MPRSK https://lnkd.in/eKChMCnd #RootsToFoods #Podcast #Agriculture #Sustainability #PrecisionAgriculture #Farming #Innovation #expandingopportunitiesworldwide #cultivatinginclusivegrowth #fosteringlifechangingopportunitiesforpeople   Transforming Agriculture with Real-Time Data!

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🌍🚜 A #Gigaton Opportunity: Can #Tech & #Agriculture Join Forces to Solve #ClimateChange? 🚜🌍  #Farmers are unlocking a #climate solution that could sequester a gigaton of #CO₂ in the next decade, using #soil as a natural #carbon sink. Meanwhile, data centers—some of the fastest-growing carbon emitters—are searching for ways to offset their footprints.  The answer could lie in an unexpected partnership. Imagine integrating cutting-edge agricultural solutions with the tech industry’s carbon strategies. Together, they could create an environmentally regenerative system that’s socially equitable and drives prosperity across the value chain—from farmers to tech innovators.  As this article in CropLife written by Andrew Duff of Groundwork BioAg explains, farmers are already leveraging new revenue streams through sustainable practices. But scaling this impact needs visionaries. https://lnkd.in/ghnqJTUD #ElonMusk, you’ve revolutionized industries—how about catalyzing this collaboration? You can bridge #agriculture and tech to create a gigaton-scale climate solution that benefits everyone.  Solutions that work for farmers, entrepreneurs, and the planet.  #ClimateAction #CarbonSequestration #TechMeetsAg #SustainableFarming #DataCenters #CarbonSolutions #RegenerativeEconomy #FutureOfWork #SoilHealth #ClimateInnovation #gigacorn #gigacornhunter #decarbonization Jack Levy Brian Mixer Idan Mor Mick Messman Adi Vagman Inbar Morag Dan Grotsky Yossi Kofman Jonathan Schwartz Gal Gitter 🇮🇱 Adam Fell Gil Eiges

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Just wrapped up our second quarterly look at regenerative agriculture and food investment activity! Key insights from Q2: 📈 The quarter brought what appears to be an increase in the number of capital commitments to regenerative agriculture and food… but a lag in the amount of capital committed. Only time will tell if the number of deals is a positive and bigger commitments will come or if this is a blip in activity. ⚙️ While VC investment in enabling innovations remained the top investment type, there was great diversity in the technologies invested in. Biologicals remained on top but investments in diverse platforms for data management and measurement followed close behind - highlighting the need for tools that can translate what’s happening on the ground to farmers, corporates, investors and more. 🌳 Public and corporate funding for projects focused on land use change and practice adoption showed up in Q2 and represent a positive sign that the importance of this foundational support is understood more broadly today. The next step is increasing awareness of the critical need to have supply chain and market investment to go in lock-step with investment at the land and farm level. 🚀 Commitments to regenerative projects at the corporate level are virtually skyrocketing. There seems to be a recognition that talking about one's commitment to these projects is good for business. This is not necessarily bad but it does encourage the exploration of which commitments can bring fruitful progress and which are more akin to greenwashing. 🤝 We also see an uptick in the number of partnerships across corporate and non-corporate entities for regeneratively focused projects. This tells me these companies stepping into the space are seeking beneficial collaborations so they don’t have to go it alone. It's also a reminder that there is an opportunity for corporates to partner with and leverage the expertise of those operations that have much deeper experience in regenerative program and market development in order to increase likelihood of success. 🔗 Lots more to dig into - link to full round-up below and in the attached pdf! Regenerative Food Systems Investment #regenerativeagriculture #foodsystems #investment #investing #aginvesting #foodfinance #impactinvesting

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I’m glad to see discussions about the AgTech/AgriFood investment model finally gaining attention, though I believe the conversation should expand to cover other aspects of development and investment. Here are a few thoughts to consider (I despise wordcounts, so the full version is available on substack): 1. Sydney is not Silicon Valley: Scalability has been the word of the decade, and the aim seems to be to create AgTech unicorns that generate billions for the economy. However, despite much more investment in the broader tech sector, over a much longer period, Australia has only produced nine tech unicorns (Atlassian etc.) with a combined value of $35 billion. This begs the question of whether or not our expectations for AgTech and AgriFood are too high. 2. AgTech is not consumer tech: Farmers aren’t consumers; they run multimillion-dollar businesses with the same demands as other enterprises. Businesses are less tolerant of risk, failure, and poor service than consumers. A B2B or B2E approach may better suit AgTech than the B2C model we seem to be following. (It's also worth noting that six of the nine Australian tech unicorns follow a B2B/B2E model.) 3. Revolutionary change in agriculture is rare: Agriculture changes slowly, not due to a lack of innovation, but because of biology. It takes time to grow things, and you can only grow certain things at certain times of the year. Therefore your ability to iterate is limited to one or two cycles a year, if that. A 'fail-fast', iterative consumer tech mentality is going to struggle in an environment where the pace of change and the success or failure of a product, is determined in years, not hours, days or weeks. 4. Backwards focus: Scaling AgTech for international markets from the get go may divert focus from local needs leaving local farmers underserved. It also means that smaller startups that could continue to innovate and scale if given the chance miss out if they don’t come up with a ‘big idea’ right from the start. 5. Unintended consequences: Australia’s climate, soils, and deregulated markets make our farming systems unique. Using tax and levy payer funds to develop products for US or European farmers (competitors), could actually diminish the ability of our farmers to compete. We don’t prioritise international farmers over our own for ag research, so why do we seem to be doing just that with AgTech? Given these points, I’d like to see discussions shift toward a model that supports smaller, regional AgTech companies. These businesses should focus on practical, locally grounded innovations, before introducing the complications of international scalability. The goal should be to help them become revenue-positive and self-sustaining quickly, allowing them to continue to innovate and, if needed, scale without losing sight of our farmers and their unique needs.

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🌱 This report from my friend Scott Leonard, is a must-read for anyone interested in creating a sustainable and equitable food ecosystem; it captures the urgency of addressing soil health, biodiversity, and climate challenges while showcasing the actions that brands, investors, and farmers can take to make a difference. 🧑‍🌾 This is a great state-of-the-union report on some of the “opportunities” we have in the CPG sector. After reading Scott's report it’s evident to me that brands occupy a pivotal position in driving the adoption of regenerative agriculture. CPG companies can function as a bridge between consumers and farmers to catalyze a movement toward sustainable food systems. ⛓️ The role of collaborative supply chains really resonated with me and I liked learning how organizations like the One Step Closer Fund fosters innovative long-term sustainability. 🌿 Scott’s references to how brands that are making a difference, and taking action, like Ancient Nutrition, Patagonia Provisions, Kashi Company, Guayakí Yerba Mate (I know the amazing family that started this company - Hi Steven, David, and Bob). and Simple Mills (I love their cookies made with milled watermelon seed instead of flour 🍪😋) were great real world examples that actually work! 📝 I found the section of the report that discussed measuring impact was especially helpful since Scott provided examples of what to track and where to start (eg. carbon sequestration).  Happy reading!!! #innovation #creativity #sustainability #futurism #management

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🐔 Chicken or 🥚 Egg? 👨‍🌾 Farmer or ⛓ Supply Chain? When we talk about investing in regenerative food systems, it can’t be one or the other - it has to be both. This piece by Andre Ticoulat at TransCap Initiative articulates this well. Combinational effects - when two or more assets stand in strategic, mutually reinforcing relationships with each other - are an important nuance to understand why. ✋ One the one hand: Farmers often need transition finance to de-risk and enable on-farm practice change. Simultaneously, processing and distribution infrastructure also needs to be available to handle product outside of commodity supply chains. If this isn’t available, farmers may not take on transition. 🤚 On the other hand: There is not nearly enough investment in this middle infrastructure, often because of high CAPEX, complexity and risk associated with the middle; as well as price uncertainty, and … get this… uncertainty of supply of regenerative inputs. Chicken or Egg? Both! Investment in both the on-farm and middle infrastructure transition needs to happen in lock-step using a systemic approach. Check out the article for more on this and examples: https://lnkd.in/gv_J_ad9 #regenerativeagriculture #farming #supplychain #foodsystems #investing #impactinvesting

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It is the balance between emissions and productivity that is key. Researchers also note that the greatest greenhouse gas reductions—more than half—could be realized by changes to grazing and pasture management. To achieve this impact expanded MRV is vital so producers can actively manage the emissions derived from grazing systems. For adoption to be feasible the focus needs to include methane intensity rather than just methane emissions per day. This is vital to ensure that food production, producer livelihoods, and food security are not compromised when implementing climate friendly solutions.

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Friday Fun with Water Where does the water come from and go? The below-referenced report came up while recording a soon-to-be-released episode of The Stream with Will and Tom. Tom Freyberg and I were discussing water use in the agricultural sector. A 2018 report from the US Department of Agriculture provides some interesting statistics. "Water resources drawn from on- and off-farm sources support agricultural production in arid regions and supplement erratic rainfall in more humid regions. According to USDA’s 2018 Irrigation and Water Management Survey, off-farm sources provide water for 28 percent of the total cropland area irrigated in the United States and account for 40 percent of total water applied to irrigated cropland. Delivering water from off-farm sources to irrigated farms requires extensive capital infrastructure to store, transport, and monitor water deliveries. Much of this infrastructure is owned by local irrigation organizations, such as irrigation districts, ditch companies, acequias (community irrigation associations), and groundwater management districts. The remaining infrastructure is owned by passthrough organizations, such as State and Federal water projects, that do not directly deliver water to farms and ranches. Lining water canals with quasi-impermeable materials such as concrete or plastic membranes can reduce conveyance losses, as less water is lost to seepage. However, a large proportion (about 72 percent) of the main and lateral canals owned by irrigation organizations remain unlined, mainly because of cost. According to SIO data, more than 75 percent of irrigation water delivery organizations in 2019 cited cost as a reason for not lining their canals. Some water delivery organizations had other reasons for not lining their canals. Nearly 30 percent of water delivery organizations cited groundwater recharge, which allows water to seep through conveyance canals into nearby aquifers. And more than 20 percent of irrigation water delivery organizations cited soil and geologic characteristics as a reason. For example, soil with a high clay content may minimize the seepage losses associated with unlined canals." So, if we want to sustainably manage water and agriculture, investing in the infrastructure, including conveyances, should be a higher priority. James Eklund John Hoholik Rylan Dobson Alexis Morgan Stuart Orr David Grant Garrett Kephart Jared Sheehan Tom Freyberg Imran Jaferey Colin Herron James Dalton Alex Money #water #climate #agriculture #americanwest #irrigation https://lnkd.in/g6dJPp7i

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Say what you will about Millennials, but we're a resilient bunch. In the face of #climatechange, young #farmers are digging deep (and planting trees) to adapt to the new normal. Everyone take notes! In Vermont, "100 year floods" seem to come every 10 years now -- sometimes, even more frequently than that. Much of the state's affordable farmland sits in the flood plain, and young farmers who frequently work this "cheap" land are sitting ducks. How do you mitigate a risk like this? So far, young farmers in Vermont have... ✅ Produced a diverse output of crops and livestock which means if one is lost, another may survive ✅ Replanted their fields in narrow strips, alternating crops, so that taller plants can offer some protection to smaller plants ✅ Added yards of topsoil and raised beds to protect plants from rising waters ✅ Experimented with planting vegetables near banks of clover and rye so the deep roots will hold the soil in place and keep it from washing away ✅ Planted hundreds of trees along river buffer zones And, perhaps most importantly, ✅ Formed close ties between other young farmers to more easily share strategies and equipment and help each other harvest early if heavy weather is on the horizon. It sounds like these farmers are heading in a #regenerative direction. What else can be done? Although resilient, young farmers still need help and are asking for ➡ On farm technical advisors to provide further support and ➡ Mental health services. Will this next Farm Bill deliver? * #SustainableAgriculture https://lnkd.in/gjdAP5WG

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Thank you Scott Leonard and One Step Closer (OSC). You have skillfully highlighted and summarized the retail product industry's role and responsibilities, while you have cogently and educationally presented key programmatic elements which are necessary to achieve impact through regenerative means. I hope your report will re-stimulate discussion and yield stepwise action toward an immediate shift in industrial agricultural practice and deliver sustainable responses to the needs of all retail stakeholders. We have learned a sobering lesson after almost 40 years since the UN Brundtlandt Report, which established "sustainability" as a global goal. It's not been good enough to do less bad, or to silo the good (packaged and standardized as it must be) as a premium, luxury, healthy or specialty product. The organic, natural and fair trade “winners”, especially those that were acquired by larger conventional companies, garnered higher supply chain transaction margins for the shareholders and producers, while they continued to externalize ecosystem, climate and social justice impact. The transformation to regenerative practice must translate to scaled adoption, accessibility, affordability and basic livelihood compensation which mutually benefits all stakeholders in their local place of commonality, shared values and resources. The product of collectively intelligent labor and service must be experienced as ecologically sound, bio-diversity maintained “consumption”. As I wrote two years ago in a Medium article entitled "French Fried Ecocide": "The scale and speed of required change, the existentially necessary shift to ‘more good’, ie. circular designed, local eco-industrial process and practice within circular economic trading supply chains, is daunting. It's very difficult to imagine how we can make impactful change in time to avert climate calamity without revolutionary and forceful, perhaps militant direct action. …communities, countries and cooperating regions must economically and politically activate NOW (nations organizations worlds). A massive grass roots movement and a moving mountains of data mining operation must dig in and open source [programmatically] to lift the quite heavy carbon curtain." https://lnkd.in/eKuTdBeB To package more good, pay forward and get change back.

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Excited to share RFSI’s first Quarterly Round-up for Regenerative Food Systems Investing! We’ve been tracking deals, fund activity and other news happening across the regen ag and food space for years but this is our first time sharing a summary of what we’re seeing. So what are the highlights from Q1 2024? 🌎 More than $722 million was committed to regenerative agriculture and food 🌱 Biologicals was the top investment theme by number of deals 🧑🏼‍🌾 Farmland transition was the top theme in terms of total capital invested 💸 We tracked 5 new investment funding vehicles launched and 3 fund closes 👀 Plus, some incredible reports released to help advance engagement in the space. Has us thinking: ⚙️ Could regenerative be a bright spot for a still slow agtech venture space? ⛓ We're pleased to see two investments in the middle of the food supply chain - is there more of this on the horizon? 🍎 Human health and nutrition is gaining well-deserved attention... and more capital - where else can we fund to move this forward? There’s lots more - read all the details here: https://lnkd.in/gJ3mxqNY Regenerative Food Systems Investment #investment #regenerativeagriculture #foodfinance #farmfinance #agtech

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🌱 Investing in Regenerative Agriculture: A Path to Sustainable Food Production 🌱 The future of agriculture is regenerative. As highlighted in Veris Wealth Partners, LLC recent publication, regenerative agriculture not only addresses climate change but also enhances soil health, water retention, and farmer livelihoods. This holistic approach is crucial as global food demand is set to rise significantly by 2050. At Root Capital, we are proud to be part of this transformative journey. By providing credit and capacity building to small agricultural businesses in rural communities, we help catalyze the transition to sustainable practices. Our focus on gender equity and climate adaptation ensures that these communities thrive while protecting our planet. 🌾 Why Regenerative Agriculture Matters: - Soil Health: Reduces erosion, enhances biodiversity, and maintains soil carbon. - Water Management: Improves soil water retention and reduces water waste and pollution. - Community Resilience: Increases farmer incomes and food security through a more equitable food system. 🌍 Join Root Capital in This Movement: Investing in regenerative agriculture is not just about mitigating climate change. It's about creating wealth for farmers, addressing racial and gender equity, and ensuring a sustainable future for all. Let's work together to accelerate the transition to regenerative and sustainable agriculture practices. #RegenerativeAgriculture #SustainableInvesting #ClimateAction #ImpactInvesting #RootCapital

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When we follow the principles of soil health and let those principles guide our management decisions, we harness the self-healing, self-regulating, and self-perpetuating capacity of natural systems to be profitable. The principles are universal, regardless of context. Specific tools used will vary depending upon context. Want to learn more? Attend a Soil Health Academy or contact Understanding Ag, LLC - Experts in Regenerative Ag.

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To get a sense of where #FoodisHealth (and agtech) is going behind the scenes, I recommend you read Venky Ramachandran recent post. It illuminates what iSelect Fund is seeing assemble in the background between microbiome, crop genetics, bioactive, regenerative, and food science. There will be a point where we can deterministically achieve endpoints (Six Sigma level output on a target level of protein, Omega 6, and a taste profile) from a recipe of inputs (Crop genetics, microbes, and farm practices). All with the ability to optimize for cost through a combination of agriculture, but also suplementation in bioactives and fortifications in later stages.

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Where are we in the Hype Cycle of AgTech and why? This is a good weekend discussion. Please take a position and post it in the thread. Feel free to be wrong. Rather than AgTech, maybe discuss a sub-market like regenerative, biologics, CRISPR, agronomy, nutrient density. The recent Earth Optics & Pattern Ag merger suggests we are on the Slope of Enlightenment. The early part of that slope. Nutrient density and specialty Soy might be to the left or right of Peak of Inflated Expectations. We still need to nail down some of the standards and market demand - is the demand climate or health? The progress for Pairwise and Inari suggests that in CRISPR/traits, at least we might be on the Slope of Enlightenment. If aimed at crop attributes rather than pure yield. Your position?

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Unlocking Demand For Regenerative Agriculture 🔥 A Crowdsourced Blueprint for Accelerating Consumer Demand for Regenerative Agriculture 🔥 Have you checked out this white paper yet? 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eN7_9wYj 🔗 Yesterday, the ReGen Brands Coalition gathered 50+ team members from our 31 member brands to learn from Ryan and discuss the findings of his paper. We talked about the four key "elements" offered as a potential blueprint: ❤️ ELEMENT #1: Increase Consumer Empathy ✍️ ELEMENT #2: Refine the Messaging Frame 🚀 ELEMENT #3: Double Down on Loyalty and Share of Wallet 🤝 ELEMENT #4: Boldly Collaborate for Big Awareness Underscoring all of these potential winning strategies is the need for greater COLLABORATION, which we are fostering daily as this group of leading brands comes together to take collective action for the greater good. Follow along at ReGen Brands to stay in the know on what we're cooking up! We'll also have a podcast interview out soon with Ryan to share more about his findings and the feedback he's received since publishing the white paper. #regenerativeagriculture #regenerativefoodsystems #cpg #food #beverage #sustainability #whitepaper #marketinginsights

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