Lauren Manning, Author at AgFunderNews

Lauren Manning

Lauren is a contributing writer for AFN, a lawyer, an adjunct law professor and raises cattle, sheep, and goats in Northwest Arkansas. You can contact her at lauren@agfunder.com.

CubicFarm Systems nets $1.5m for on-site indoor farming setup to feed livestock

May 3, 2021

The Canadian company is testing its HydroGreen indoor forage-growing technology with a major beef and dairy operation in Wyoming.

EXCLUSIVE: Vence raises $12m to enable rotational grazing with virtual electric fences

April 28, 2021

Vence aims to use the Series A funds to support more rotational grazing with its GPS-enabled collars that can keep livestock within virtual boundaries.

Startup Spotlight: PowerPollen’s ‘on-demand’ pollination tech could make bees’ lives easier

April 26, 2021

PowerPollen has come up with a way to apply collected pollen to female plants any time of day or night, maximizing yield and reducing risk.

Cargill, Sysco invest $5m for sustainable grazing in the US Southern Great Plains

April 23, 2021

Alongside the US National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, the partners will fund grants for sustainable grazing practices in the Southern Great Plains.

On Earth Day 2021, Climate Neutral says it has signed 230 brands to its net-zero certification

April 22, 2021

Carbon Neutral aims to help brands with carbon accounting and offsetting by providing a third-party certification and consumer-facing label.

Brief: UAE’s Madar Farms partners with UK vertical farming startup IGS

April 22, 2021

Madar Farms is one of several indoor ag operations that the UAE – which imports 80% of its food – has invested in to boost domestic production.

Brief: E-grocer Ocado invests $14m in autonomous vehicle startup Oxbotica

April 21, 2021

With e-grocery adoption skyrocketing due to Covid-19, grocery delivery companies like UK-based Ocado are finding new reasons to seek out innovation.

OneSoil raises $5m to expand services in Europe, North America

April 21, 2021

OneSoil uses machine learning and satellite imagery to offer agricultural analytics and field insights for farmers at no cost.

EXCLUSIVE: Brazil’s Agrolend raises $1.6m seed funding for farmer fintech solution

April 21, 2021

Agrolend is aiming to offer better financing options for Brazilian farmers who have faced challenges like depreciation of the country’s currency.

Brief: Danone recertifies B Corp status, posts ‘even higher’ impact scores

April 20, 2021

Danone subsidiary Nutricia North America, a specialized nutrition brand, also recently achieved Certified B Corp status.

Bushel bags $47m Series C funding as it scales up & eyes new fintech offering

April 20, 2021

The North Dakotan startup is on a mission to digitalize the grain supply chain and now plans to add fintech offerings to its app-based trading platform.

PastureMap merges with Soil Value Exchange to create Grassroots Carbon

April 15, 2021

Grassroots Carbon will tap PastureMap’s database of users to offer opportunities to earn carbon credits for sequestering carbon.

EXCLUSIVE: LatAm agronomic platform Agrosmart acquires BoosterAgro to expand weather support

April 15, 2021

LatAm-based decision support platform Agrosmart has acquired BoosterAgro, an Argentinian startup that has developed one of the most popular agrometeorological apps in the region, according

This startup says its new laser-armed weeding robot is already sold out for 2021

April 13, 2021

Carbon Robotics relies on advanced computer vision to distinguish pesky weeds from high-value crops – taking care of one of farmers’ least-favorite jobs.

Ÿnsect acquires Protifarm to raise insects for human consumption

April 13, 2021

Ÿnsect will initially target the sports nutrition segment following the EU’s approval of mealworms as safe for humans to eat.

FarmTogether completes ‘largest ever’ $22m farmland crowdfunding

April 12, 2021

FarmTogether offers accredited investors an opportunity to browse and buy into farmland opportunities through its Terra platform.

AppHarvest acquires Root AI to add AI-powered harvesting robots to its workforce

April 8, 2021

AppHarvest will use the Root AI Virgo robot to help its employees with harvest as well as tidying up around its high-tech greenhouses.

EXCLUSIVE: Harvest automation startup Tortuga raises $20m Series A to build hundreds of robots

April 8, 2021

Tortuga AgTech is preparing to build hundreds of robots to deploy in 2022 as Covid-19 boosted farmer interest in robotics to address labor shortage issues.