Al Barbarino

RFID provides a means to track the supply of meat, from calf to consumer, in one computerized database, and it has gained popularity among investors amid growing concerns regarding traceability.

Marcello Tumedei, chief executive officer with Suba, said the partnership will merge Gallatin’s “innovative research and development initiatives in peas and beans with Suba’s European large seed vegetable production platform.

The PE community has been closely monitoring major consolidation among large agri groups, including additional pending mergers between DuPont and Dow Chemical, and ChemChina and Syngenta.

David Widmar, agricultural economist at Purdue University, told Agri Investor that the difficulties US farmers will face in the upcoming 2017 season are likely setting in.

Epicrop science adds epigenetic information directly to seeds of commercial varieties without adding genetic material, which could potentially change consumer perceptions.

Google Ventures (now GV) also led the company's Series B round in May 2015, and has invested frequently in other data-driven agri companies.

The fund will invest primarily in startups transforming renewable raw materials, one focus being the conversion of agricultural waste or C02 to renewable end-products.

Boragen will initially focus on mitigating fungicide resistance while reducing the overall amount of chemicals applied per acre of land.

The agreement gives the firm exclusive rights to market and service the brand’s evolving agriculture and turf products throughout Delaware, eastern Maryland, and southeastern Pennsylvania.

Long-term holding companies like Fairfax Africa, which just raised $500m through an IPO, offer a promising proposition for patient capital that is willing to grow with developing nations.