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We hope you enjoy reading Ag Ventures Alliance's June Newsletter!

Member Spotlight

Hello all, as the newest member of the team I thought it would be appropriate to highlight myself first in this new feature. In the future we will focus on other members that are stepping forward and doing innovative things which is in alignment with the vision of Ag Ventures Alliance… feel free to reach out to me at loran@agventuresalliance.com or (563) 380-1149 if you have suggestions/nominations for future Member Spotlights.

My name is Loran Steinlage and I have been hired to lead “Farm Trials and Member Success Specialist,” but I am not new to the group. I joined a couple of years ago when asked if I would be interested in being involved by Spencer, as a judge for the AgLaunch program. I accepted that quickly since that is right up my alley. Does it take time, yes, but being involved in events like that has always paid dividends in the end. I am a firm believer that often, it is not the upfront reward that pays…but often a long-term investment that returns greatly.

Over the years, I have enjoyed watching the teams grow as we work with them and help groom them for the cohort that is AgLaunch. By the end we know the teams fairly well and take pride in seeing them succeed. I personally look forward every summer to jumping back in, and seeing what is new on the horizon. It seems every year certain companies thrive and standout…and now the AgLaunch team is growing and succeeding proving the program works.

Is it easy at times, no…. But the results are starting to accumulate according to what I have heard at the first inaugural AgLaunch farmers event this past winter. I encourage other members to get involved too, that is how we will build this together. How cool is it that helping all members become more successful is now part of my Role!

Another piece of Ag Ventures Alliance I have enjoyed being a part of is the Business Development Committee…. I feel it is a vital part of the success we are seeing, picking winners and per the numbers shared at the Annual Meeting the track record is strong. But we need forward looking ideas…to keep improving.

Some of the other experiences I bring to the team is I still am actively engaged on a farm near West Union, Iowa where we have always strived to lead both on innovation and environmental leadership. I have always told folks I am not an environmental activist; I am an active environmentalist…which in my mind translates to, I will try to showcase the potential vs others that only want to point out what is wrong.

Several of you have been to our farm as we have hosted events in the past including Ag Ventures and AgLaunch field days. Our farm and practices have been featured in several prominent publications, news reports and podcasts. We maintain an open-door policy when there is a chance to help folks learn (Google FLOLO farms for more information).

Along my journey I have started focusing off farm more, doing contract testing with several manufacturers. Then I was offered an engineering role at an equipment manufacturer. While I enjoyed that, I did not get to work directly with farmers anymore. This was made possible after working with several companies over the years designing and building several pieces of equipment that we pioneered on our farm. I am not afraid to tell folks “I love Farming, but some of the opportunities I have had off the farm push me and drive me more, now then ever….”

I look forward to helping all the members and companies we work with, but I will need your help as we build out the Farm Network…. As I get comfortable with Glue Up, I will be using that to communicate with those who sign up for tests. It will be imperative for “you” the members to make sure your profile is filled out. It will help connect you with the companies and set up our trials. My goal is to help things flow smoothly. I am looking forward to what the future entails and working with as many members as possible.

25 Years Seed to Silver

Join Ag Ventures Alliance on Saturday, July 29th from 4:00 to 7:00 pm at The Rustic Barn Venue, 24064 250th St, Nora Springs, IA, as we proudly celebrate 25 years. All past and current Board Directors, staff, members, and portfolio companies are invited. We encourage you to bring your family to enjoy the activities, food, and short program to be held at 5:30 pm.

SwineTech presented at the PIC global team meeting and Invest Midwest in St. Louis, showcasing their innovative work to partners and a wider audience. Matthew also had productive meetings with anticipated Canadian distributers to build potential partnerships and opportunities. SwineTech also presented to the top 40 pork producers at the Pork Management conference in Kansas City.

Continuum Ag held their Topsoil Conference on June 5th. They had great speakers from important organizations around the ethanol industry talking about the future of carbon intensity scores for corn farmers and what this means for the future of regenerative farming. Continuum recently decoded the CI scoring calculations and added this feature to their TopSoil platform for farmers to easily calculate their CI scores for the corn they produce.

Continuum Ag also announced their Series A capital raise with AgVA listed as a main supporter. The company will be hiring employees to help them scale and add acres to their platform, as well as advance their software capabilities within the Topsoil web application.

PowerPollen is gearing up for their largest production season ever. In addition to seed production acres, they also have their first commercial grain pilot of In-Season ControlTM technology.

They will be testing their next generation pollen application and collection systems this summer. These systems are designed to maximize the value generated per acre by increasing capacity and reducing idle time.

The Countryside Angels held meetings in April and May, hearing pitches from Continuum Ag, Distynct, and Motion Grazer. Continuum Ag provides family farms a digital roadmap for regenerative ag success by utilizing their online “Topsoil” platform. Distynct is a remote management system for hog barns that connects smart sensors to a centralized cloud system that also provides the barn with internet. Motion Grazer uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to quantitatively evaluate animal posture and determine body condition and gait. Motion Grazer is currently focused on breeding sows to prevent death loss and culling.

Learn More About Country Side Angels

Ag Ventures Alliance Invests in Sentinel Fertigation's Revolutionary Precision Agriculture Platform

Sentinel Fertigation has developed an advanced fertigation platform called N-Time™, which utilizes satellite imagery and sophisticated algorithms to optimize fertilizer application rates. This investment comes as Sentinel Fertigation raises a seed round to further develop their nitrogen management solution.

Sentinel Fertigation's N-Time™ software platform provides farmers and agronomists with comprehensive image-based nitrogen management solutions. By leveraging satellite imagery and cutting-edge algorithms, the system offers precise nitrogen application recommendations throughout the growing season. The technology is based on research conducted at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), demonstrating increased efficiency, nitrogen product savings, and improved nitrogen-to-yield efficiency.

The key feature of Sentinel Fertigation's N-Time™ is its ability to determine the optimal fertilizer rates based on real-time data and analysis. By using test strips to calibrate the model and understand nitrogen response, farmers can accurately treat their crops with the right amount of nitrogen at the appropriate time. Farmers can conveniently receive application recommendations via text messages or push notifications.

Sentinel Fertigation's impressive team adds to its strong position in the market. Led by CEO and Founder Jackson Stansell, who holds a B.S. in Engineering Sciences from Harvard and a Ph.D. in Biological Engineering from UNL, the team combines expertise in engineering, agronomy, and strategic advisory roles.

Reducing applied nitrogen, increasing yield, and the benefit to a farmer’s bottom line and the environment make this a great match for the AgVA portfolio.

Ag Ventures Alliance Invests in Continuum Ag to Support Regenerative Agriculture Innovation

Continuum Ag, founded by Mitchell Hora, a 7th generation Iowa farmer and thought leader in regenerative agriculture, offers family farms a digital roadmap for success in sustainable farming practices.

Since Ag Ventures Alliance's initial investment in 2020, Continuum Ag has experienced remarkable growth, expanding its product offerings and attracting high-profile customers. Continuum has successfully launched the first-ever Carbon Intensity (CI) Score for farmers. This CI score will enable farmers to monetize their carbon insetting advantages and assist ethanol plants in meeting low carbon fuel standards driven by changes to the 45Z tax credit in the Inflation Reduction Act.

Continuum Ag has developed a comprehensive suite of tools and services that empower farmers to make data-driven decisions, enhance soil health, and promote long-term sustainability. Mitchell's extensive knowledge and dedication to regenerative agriculture have positioned Continuum Ag as a frontrunner in the adoption of sustainable farming practices. He actively engages with the agricultural community, participating in panel discussions, podcasts, and industry events, further contributing to the global conversation on regenerative agriculture's transformative potential.

Continuum Ag's product portfolio continues to evolve, with offerings such as Rightway Soil Sampling, Enterprise Relationship Management, Regen Roadmap, and the Carbon Intensity Score. These developments have solidified Continuum Ag's position as a leading provider of innovative solutions in the regenerative agriculture space.

The investment from Ag Ventures Alliance will be used to support various initiatives at Continuum Ag. These include investing in automation upgrades for the TopSoil platform, hiring additional sales and customer success staff, increasing marketing efforts to maintain thought leadership in regenerative agriculture, and further developing the Carbon Intensity Score to solidify Continuum Ag's position as a leading partner in the carbon space.

Ag Ventures Alliance, recognizing the potential impact of Continuum Ag's innovations on its members, is enthusiastic about this investment. Continuum Ag's support in navigating the regenerative agriculture transition aligns with AgVA's mission to increase farm profitability.

Ag Ventures Alliance Invests in Distynct's Remote Management System for Hog Barns

Distynct's innovative platform connects smart sensors to a centralized cloud system, providing real-time data on vital components such as feed bins, temperature, manure pits, propane, water usage, and more. This data is then used to generate insights, custom alerts, historical trends, and benchmarking for farmers and confinement companies.

Distynct's business model consists of two key components. First, the hardware includes a connectivity engine with integrations for off-the-shelf sensors. Second, the company offers a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model that brings barn data to a user-friendly platform for making informed decisions. With Distynct's web and mobile app, barn owners have full visibility of their facilities and can monitor their functionality remotely. In the event of an alarm triggered by one of the sensors, users can view and acknowledge the alarm directly from their smartphones, eliminating the need to physically visit the barn.

One of Distynct's key advantages is its ability to set up a reliable cellular network connection, as approximately 90% of hog barns currently lack internet connectivity. By leveraging IoT sensors, Distynct provides real-time reporting of crucial data streams, including feed bin monitoring, water consumption, temperature, humidity, CO2 levels, static pressure, manure pit depth, door switches, motion sensors, propane monitoring, electrical usage, and decibel levels.

The company's founders, BJ Brugman (Co-founder/CEO), Thomas Hornbeck (Co-founder/CTO), and Justin Van Wert (Director of Product), bring a wealth of experience from the animal pharmaceuticals industry, software engineering, and agricultural equipment manufacturing sectors, respectively.

With Ag Ventures Alliance's investment and the continued expansion of Distynct's customer base, the company is poised to revolutionize the hog barn management industry and contribute to the overall improvement of livestock monitoring practices.

Ag Ventures Alliance Invests in Vane Ag to Revolutionize Agricultural Insurance

With this investment, AgVA aims to support Vane Ag's mission of providing farmers and agribusinesses with tailored insurance solutions to address niche gaps in the agricultural insurance market.

Vane Ag has identified an opportunity in the specialized agricultural insurance industry by offering comprehensive coverage for various agricultural risks. Unlike traditional parametric insurance policies, Vane Ag utilizes its proprietary technology platform and field-specific underwriting processes to pay claims based on underwritten and adjusted losses, ensuring accurate coverage for farmers and agribusinesses.

The seed round will be utilized to hire key team members for sales and backend support, facilitating the company's growth and expansion plans.

Vane Ag's insurance solutions encompass a wide range of specialized coverage options designed to mitigate agricultural risks effectively. These solutions include custom farming revenue insurance, agribusiness preventative and replant insurance, increased equipment expense insurance, contracted grain insurance, quality failure insurance for specialty crops, and row crop insurance covering production and revenue for row and specialty crops.

What sets Vane Ag apart from its competitors is its unique approach to insurance claims. While parametric insurance policies pay claims based on pre-negotiated parameters, Vane Ag combines the technology used by parametric insurers with field-specific underwriting and adjusted losses to accurately determine claim payments. This approach ensures that farmers and agribusinesses receive appropriate compensation for their losses.

At the heart of Vane Ag's operations lies its proprietary web-based application, which serves as a technological backbone for the company. This platform allows Vane Ag to assess agribusiness revenue risk, protect against revenue loss exposure, build risk models based on geographic data, automate the claim process, and compare client historical performance with different models. By integrating with platforms such as MyJohnDeere.com and Climate Fieldview, Vane Ag can collect and validate field operations and machine data, accurately cover individual fields, and digitize insurance products at the field level.

With the expertise of its founder and CEO, Don Preusser, who has 30 years of executive and operational leadership in insurance companies, Vane Ag is well-positioned to disrupt the market and provide valuable solutions to farmers and agribusinesses.

By investing in Vane Ag, Ag Ventures Alliance is excited to offset the risk that specialty crops, custom farms, and agribusinesses face that impacts the service and pricing for the rest of the ag industry.

Ag Ventures Alliance Invests in GenoTwin, Pioneering Livestock Biosecurity and Proactive Management

GenoTwin utilizes proprietary 'omics'-based technology to provide a multi-dimensional view of emerging and existing pathogens and infectious diseases, offering a proactive model that can prevent potential disease outbreaks and secure the global food supply.

GenoTwin's genomics platform employs big data analysis and metagenomics to enable early detection and control of novel pathogens in livestock. By identifying and preventing disease at an early stage, the platform has the potential to significantly reduce livestock mortality, increase production yields, and improve the effectiveness of targeted treatments. This novel approach offers a unique solution to the pressing global problem of livestock biosecurity, empowering farmers to make better decisions and enhancing the overall health and welfare of animals.

Led by CEO Connor Dowling, an MBA graduate from Tufts University and a leader in the BioVenture Entrepreneurship Lab at Cornell, GenoTwin boasts a highly skilled team. The company's founder, Raul Rabadan, heads an interdisciplinary lab at Columbia University, comprising researchers from mathematics, physics, computer science, engineering, and medicine. Rabadan's scientific expertise, resulting in numerous peer-reviewed publications and novel therapies in clinical trials, lends significant credibility to GenoTwin's innovative approach.

The livestock industry faces several challenges that GenoTwin aims to address. Current livestock biosecurity and diagnostics methods are narrowly focused, while the growing meat product industry intensifies the challenges and risks. GenoTwin's technology offers a comprehensive solution by utilizing metagenomics to detect and control emerging pathogens, ensuring a healthier livestock population, safeguarding animal welfare, and protecting the environment, public health, and the economy.

By investing in GenoTwin, Ag Ventures Alliance acknowledges the company's potential to make a significant impact on the livestock industry. The investment will enable GenoTwin to collect crucial data, confirm its value proposition with farms, prioritize feature development, and embark on predictive modeling. The financial infusion will help the company validate its estimated 18x ROI and further solidify its position in the market.

Ag Ventures Alliance Invests in Corral Technologies to Revolutionize Cattle Grazing Management

Corral Technologies, a pioneering company specializing in the development of a revolutionary cattle collar and software system, developed an innovative technology aiming to transform the way ranchers manage cattle grazing, offering significant improvements in efficiency and profitability.

Corral Technologies' cutting-edge system enables ranchers to remotely manage cattle grazing without the need for extensive fencing or manual labor. By utilizing GPS-enabled "smart" collars and a user-friendly web-based software platform, ranchers can easily move their cattle across grazing lands, optimizing their utilization, and enhancing overall herd management.

The main objective of Corral's system is to address the numerous challenges faced by ranchers, including soaring rental costs, labor shortages, feed expenses, and the cumbersome task of constructing and repairing fences. By employing intense rotational grazing practices made more effective through Corral's technology, ranchers can boost their profits and experience positive effects on their herds.

Ag Ventures Alliance first invested in Corral Technologies during September 2022. This follow-on investment demonstrates Ag Ventures Alliance's confidence in the potential of Corral's technology and its commitment to supporting Corral’s innovative solutions in the livestock grazing market.

The core problem that Corral's system addresses is the inefficiency of continuous grazing, which leads to reduced carrying capacity, uneven manure distribution, and utilizes only 35% of pasture production. On the other hand, rotational grazing offers numerous advantages to ranchers but requires significant time and labor to move fences and cattle frequently. This poses a challenge for many cow-calf operations, which often serve as supplemental income sources for farms and lack the resources to adopt rotational grazing practices.

Corral's solution employs GPS-equipped collars that track cattle movement and provide stimulation to keep them within predefined boundaries. These collars, powered by solar panels and rechargeable batteries, enable ranchers to control and guide their cattle using a computer, tablet, or smartphone through Corral's user-friendly software platform.

Corral's intensified rotational grazing practices offer substantial benefits to ranchers, including increased carrying capacity, higher weaning weights for calves, healthier animals, and significant time savings. Studies conducted at Virginia Tech indicate that intensified rotational grazing can provide benefits of up to $200 per cow. By eliminating the need for additional labor, fencing, or extended management time, Corral's technology makes it more feasible for ranchers to adopt these practices and enjoy improved profitability.

Ag Ventures Alliance's investment in Corral Technologies reflects the confidence in the company's potential to revolutionize cattle grazing management and provide significant benefits to farmers and ranchers. With an innovative product, strong traction, strategic partnerships, and a dedicated team, Corral Technologies is well-positioned to make a lasting impact in the agricultural industry and improve the profitability and sustainability of cattle ranching operations.

D & D Horras Farms - Brighton, IA
J Mitchell Real Estate LLC (Joe Mitchell) - Des Moines, IA
MT Hora Farms (Mitchell Hora) - Brighton, IA
Rick Clark - Williamsport, IN
Tim Berge - Northwood, IA
Silver Lake Ent. (Randy Holstad) - Lake Mills, IA

It has been an interesting spring again as usual, most of our planting trials went in fairly smoothly. I am going to start off by complementing a few of the trial members who have set the bar high by the way they document and share the data with the whole team. It has me thinking how we can help others achieve this same level across the board and network. I told Spencer when I saw this, I think this will be an added benefit to being a member of the Network- members helping members learn by learning which platforms are working. As we go into this…reach out to me and tell me ideas you would like to share or learn about the various platforms some are using, and I will try to help or team you up with another member who is utilizing said platforms…

Also, be thinking about future meetings and the possibility of setting aside time to share stories and help each other maximize the investments of time and money in these companies we are fortunate to be working with. I will be trying to make several loops this summer to visit the trials as they play out now.

The planting trials like Phospholutions, EVOIA, and Holganix are for the most part in thanks to some great cooperators and now the key is to be tracking and documenting per the protocols set in place…. Some folks have seen some neat things on early observations from what I have heard, and I look forward to the field visits to see if that carries through to harvest.

A couple of the summer trials are just beginning as I type this…. Such as Spornado and Bioverse Labs getting the agreements in place and signed is critical on these I am looking forward to meeting the farmers and companies on these.

The tests I probably had the most involvement with this spring are Susterre and ReEnvision Ag…. Jayson probably had the best comment “we started learning from the minute we pulled in the yard.” That right here is the value proposition of this whole project…. These companies value the insight and suggestions we can offer. Getting out in the field is crucial for both them and us, and as we learn how to maximize the mutual benefits…. The key I see, is the biggest hold up in most test is the proven concept…. Not the product they are testing. As we Farmers get involved, we can and will mitigate that thanks to the network we are building.

If you have not joined the Farmer Trial Network and would be interested…. Fill out the membership application in Glue Up and join us? If you need help with that shoot me a message loran@agventuresalliance.com or call/text (563) 380-1149.

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