CVA joins Land O'Lakes, Inc. and Radicle Growth to participate in AgRogue Growth Partners to find, fund and scale the future of ag

At a time when public funding for ag research is falling behind, Central Valley Ag is investing in the discovery and adoption of technologies to support farmers. 

Central Valley Ag (CVA) announced its participation in the newly launched AgRogue Growth Partners, a bold initiative aimed at fast-tracking promising agricultural technologies. 

The platform is managed by Radicle Growth, a global ag tech investment firm tasked with sourcing, evaluating and guiding startup companies that are positioned to reshape agriculture. CVA, Land O'Lakes, Inc. and a coalition of ag retailers across the country will then work to fund and scale promising new technologies. The group will invest up to $7 million into each of 10-15 early-stage companies focused on ag innovation - including crop inputs, data-driven tools, supply chain improvements and new business models. 

"At Central Valley Ag, our responsibility is to ensure our member-owners have access to the tools and innovations that will strengthen their operations today and for the future," said Nic McCarthy, President/CEO of CVA. "Now is the right time to engage in this platform because agriculture is at a critical inflection point - farmers need solutions that improve efficiency, sustainability and profitability, and they need them faster than ever before. By partnering through AgRogue Growth Partners, we can help accelerate the right innovations, grounded in the trust farmers already place in their local cooperative." 

Through this initiative and in connection with Radicle Growth, CVA, Land O'Lakes and the other partners will work together to: 

• invest in and scale breakthrough technologies that deliver real impact for farmers
• pool capital and expertise to uncover innovations often overlooked by traditional investment models
• accelerate adoption by leveraging the deep trust between local ag retailers and their farmer-customers 

"Right now, we're seeing a wave of necessary innovation stall before it reaches the farm gate - often lacking the local trust and infrastructure needed to succeed," said Brett Bruggeman, chief operating officer and executive vice president of ag business at Land O'Lakes, Inc. "As one of the largest farmer and retailer-owned cooperatives in the U.S., we know our retail-owners are uniquely positioned to bridge that gap and get proven innovation into farmers' hands faster."