Summer Heat Begins Early
As we near the end of June and the official start of summer, the heat is already beyond peak August temperatures in much of the Midwest and Northern U.S. However, our thoughts are with our team at Omnivore and India. The country has faced weeks of brutal heat. Northern India temperatures reached 49.9 degrees Celsius (121.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in late May, for example. The situation adds urgency to our actions and builds our hope that the heat wave will drive policy actions more quickly.
There are some reasons to be hopeful on policy. The European Union just adopted a groundbreaking nature restoration law that aims to rejuvenate at least 20% of the EU’s terrestrial and marine environments by the year 2030. And, in the U.S., the National Academies of Science just released a new report, “Exploring Linkages Between Soil Health and Human Health.” These are just two of the good news headlines we are following lately, along with the updates from our portfolio this month.
The Nest Reads
While these titles are far from the light“ beach reads” of summer, we think you will enjoy our latest edition of The Nest Reads. This edition features topics including creative approaches to permanent agriculture, our body´s inherent wisdom on nutrition, and the dangers of ultra-processed foods.
Regenerative Aquaculture
Often, the word “regenerative” is associated with land and agriculture. But the ocean provides much of our food, along with half the oxygen we need, and our globe’s largest heat sink even as its ecosystems are in decline. The Nest funded a new series on the Investing in Regenerative Agriculture podcase to explore how we can harvest food in a sustainable way that contributes to both our health and that of the marine environment. The first Regenerative Aquaculture episode features Georg Baunach, co-founder of Hatch Blue. The episode covers the potential and risks of investing in aquaculture.
Foundation
The Nest, along with partners including Astanor, helped fund Top 50 Farmers, a non-profit project to scale regenerative agriculture by spotlighting the farmers leading the way. The new program will launch in the fall with an open call nomination to find 50 farmers from across Europe who are applying regenerative principles and demonstrating how agriculture is good business for people and the planet.
Portfolio News
Astanor
Astanor launched its fourth Impact Creation Report with featured investments including Aphea.Bio, MicroHarvest, Standing Ovation and Umiami. Key metrics from the report:
− 65k metric tons of avoided CO2e
− 33k hectares of avoided land use
− 5.9 million m3 of water use avoided
− On average, 4k farmers financed
Antler Bio
Antler Bio is partnering with the UK Agri-Tech Centre on piloting an EPIHERD project. The project will leverage Antler Bio’s platform, which combines machine learning and epigenomic data, to improve the productivity, sustainability, and efficiency of UK dairy enterprises. Learn more about this innovative project.
Monarch Tractor
The USDA Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) supports purchases of the Monarch MK-V, at less than 50% of its retail price, making Monarch’s cutting-edge agricultural technology more affordable for American farmers.
Trace Genomics
Trace Genomics published guidance on use of their TraceCOMPLETE and TraceN analysis as part of strategies to lower carbon intensity of crop production to access the current 45Z tax credits. The tax credits, part of the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, offer incentives for lower carbon intensity biofuel feedstock. While there is necessary debate on food versus fuel use for cropland, the program may help scale adoption of some regenerative practices.
biotope by VIB
biotope by VIB wrapped up their 3-week startup basecamp, which hosted 50 teams, representing 10 different countries. The biotope investment team will have tough decisions ahead of their announcement of new portfolio of companies in a few months.
Other News
Synthesis Capital unpacks the latest headlines and some of the complexities of cultivated meat.
Walden Mutual launched their “Money & Meaning” blog series, featuring conversations about the way money relates to our values. The first post is an interview with Joe York, SVP Partners and Impact at Walden Mutual.
Entrepreneur India featured Omnivore’s Investment Director, Abhilash Sethi in an article covering the intersection of agriculture and technology in India.
How We Made It in Africa interviewed Fadoua Boudiba, Africa lead for aquaculture investment firm Aqua-Spark, discussing the investment opportunities in Africa’s aquaculture value chain.
Opportunities
Walden Mutual is hiring for Commercial Lender and Partner Experience Associate roles.
Edacious is hiring for Head of Food Science & Technology and Spectroscopy Lead (Principal Scientist, Applications Specialist) roles.
Monarch Tractor has 12 job openings including roles in Corporate Development& Strategy and Senior Controls Engineer.
Omnivore’s portfolio has 186 job openings across 34 companies.
Trace Genomics has four roles open in Sales, Research, Agronomy, and Customer Success.
From the Farm
Spring has been busy at Domaine de Graux for all types of guests. The second Family Day event hosted 500 visitors and the farm also hosted South Pole’s CO2Logic for a regenerative farming learning experience.
In the fields, the visitors include deer and wildlife. Prior to mowing the pastures, the team at Domaine de Graux hired Savons Bambi Belgique. The organization uses drones equipped with thermal cameras to identify deer and nesting birds that may cover themselves when equipment approaches. The service helps avoid wildlife deaths, which can number in the tens of thousands per year without intervention.
The weather is rainy this season, but the team is looking ahead for the harvest and the upcoming births of two more Angus calves. Six calves have been born so far this season.