Category: Ag News

Aided and abetted by the drought, feedlots put together another month of large placements in July. July placements were 101.8 percent of last year, despite growing indications that feeder supplies are declining. July 1 estimated feeder supp…

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will hold a virtual symposium with special focus on the Asian Longhorned Tick.

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Vive Crop Protection announced today the close of its USD $26 million Series C investment round. The round was led by Emmertech with participation from the Cibus funds, and existing investors Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), Export Development Canada (EDC), and Urbana Corporation. Vive has also secured debt financing from Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) to provide both working and growth capital in support of their continued expansion.

Vive will have a second close in the next quarter to accommodate top-tier investor groups still completing diligence – all strategically focused on next-generation agriculture technology.

Vive will leverage its newest funding to accelerate the commercial deployment of its next-generation product portfolio into new North American markets while advancing its research and development pipeline.

“The investment by Emmertech, the Cibus funds, and existing investors, and the debt financing provided by Silicon Valley Bank underscores our success in delivering innovative solutions to farmers,” says Darren Anderson, Chief Executive Officer of Vive Crop Protection. “We’re extremely excited about how these new relationships will propel our business to the next level, including into global markets.”

Vive’s proprietary Allosperse® technology is a nanoscale, polymer-based delivery system that improves the targeting and performance of both synthetic and biological active ingredients, enhancing farmers ROI and sustainability profile.

“Since 2018, our products are estimated to have saved farmers 34 million gallons of water, 189,000 gallons of fuel, and 15,000 hours of farm labor,” says Anderson. “In addition, feedback from our annual customer satisfaction survey has been overwhelmingly positive with 97% of respondents indicating their desire to re-use Vive products.”

Fast-Paced Growth

In the last 18 months, Vive has experienced rapid growth which is evident in new product registrations, and increases in customer base, employment roster, and revenue – which has more than doubled from sales of its seven EPA-registered products.

Following Vive’s 2021 U.S. launch of AZterknot® fungicide, sales opportunities in new crop segments have been significant. Registered across a broad spectrum of crops, AZterknot demonstrates Vive’s ability to more effectively deliver both biologicals and synthetic active ingredients in a single jug.

In its first full marketing season of 2022, AZterknot sales exceeded expectation with product use on more than 50,000 U.S. acres. “AZterknot showcases our ability to deliver biologicals with proven chemistry,” says Anderson. “As the demand for biologicals increases, Allosperse will be an important technology for bringing more bio-based offerings to market.”

Kyle Scott, Managing Director of Conexus Venture Capital & Emmertech, says, “We are thrilled to be backing Vive’s outstanding team and the trust they’ve built among farmers with solutions that are efficient, sustainable, and profitable. We look forward to supporting Vive with their R&D infrastructure and entrance into global markets.”

Vive is also pleased to announce the appointment of Kyle Scott to its Board of Directors.

Alastair Cooper, Head of Venture at the Cibus funds, says, “Our investment underlines our commitment to disruptive companies like Vive who place innovation at the core of their business model. As agriculture continues to embrace new technology, we believe Vive products will become increasingly important for maximizing on-farm efficiency and sustainability.”

Graeme Millen, Managing Director and Climate Tech & Sustainability lead in Canada for Silicon Valley Bank, says, “Vive’s unique technology exemplifies the power of next-generation solutions to create sustainable yet profitable outcomes for stakeholders. This approach aligns with SVB’s role as an active partner for high impact Agtech companies and we’re excited to support Vive’s important mission.”

Marketplace Achievements

• Seven commercially available products used on more than 2 million acres of U.S. farmland in 2022

• First to launch a three-way fungicide that combines Allosperse with biological and synthetic chemistries

• Intellectual property portfolio of more than 100 patents granted with others pending, plus R&D capabilities

• Recognized as one of Canada’s Sustainability Changemakers for 2022 by the Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) organization

• Corporate recipient of numerous international awards for its innovative Allosperse technology

Vive recognizes Fort Capital Partners for their advisory role in this funding round.

About Vive Crop Protection

Vive creates Precision Chemistry to expand the horizons of Precision Ag. Utilizing the patented Allosperse® Delivery System, Vive improves the targeting and performance of chemical and biological active ingredients, helping growers achieve real results. Learn more at vivecrop.com.

This month, members of Congress, including the Chair of the House Transportation Committee introduced the Freight Rail Shipping Fair Market Act (FRSFMA). If adopted, the legislation will reauthorize the Surface Transportation Board (STB) an…

KC Sheperd, Farm Director, last week visited with Clint Abernathy of the U.S Cotton Trust Protocol. Owner and operator of Abernathy Farms in Altus, Okla., Abernathy talks about this year’s cotton conditions on account of the lack of m…

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RON’s Dave Lanning has a pre-opening look at today’s agricultural Markets.

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VVoters head to the polls Tuesday for the runoff primary and several nonpartisan elections. The State Election Board offers these tips and reminders to Oklahoma voters ahead of the August 23 Election.

ELECTION DAY VOTING

Polls are o…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture are now putting the Daily Cash Grain Report into a PDF format – we are saving that PDF and archiving them for today’s specific report. To see today’s update, click on the PDF report link at the bottom of this story.

In addition to the PDF of the daily report, you can also listen to the Cash Grain Report by calling 405-621-5533. Push 2 for the grain report.

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KC Sheperd, Farm Director, had the chance to visit with Bob Rodenberger, A partner with Stockman Oklahoma Livestock Marketing. Stockman has locations in Oklahoma City and Apache. Rodenberger talks about th…

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Listen to today’s report with Justin Lewis, by clicking or tapping on the LISTEN bar