St. Louis-based Benson Hill has just closed a $150 million Series D funding round led by Wheatsheaf Group and GV (formerly Google Ventures) to scale its commercial operations and its platform food innovation engine CropOS™ across multiple food and ingredients markets. The company’s leading food innovation engine CropOS™ taps nature’s genetic diversity to develop and commercialize healthier and more sustainable …
Daugherty Water for Food Podcast Episode Two
The second episode of the Daugherty Water for Food Podcast is now live. This episode spotlights another amazing woman making waves in the food and water space. Lizz Ellis, CEO of International Development Enterprises (iDE), recently participated in the recent Women Leaders in Water for Food webinar focused on empowering women in ag and water management. She is interviewed by …
Benson Hill Builds a Home for the Future of Food
St. Louis-based food tech company Benson Hill, held a ribbon cutting for its new state-of-the-art headquarters on Monday, joined by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. The 160,000 square foot headquarters will house a diverse and growing team focused on innovation of better food and ingredient options from plant to plate. “Today celebrates a milestone on our journey to move food forward,” …
USDA Announces More Eligible Commodities for CFAP
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has added new commodities to the list covered by the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), and is extending the deadline to apply for the program to September 11th. Additional commodities now eligible for the program include a variety of specialty crops like pumpkins, rutabagas, shallots, tangelos; all types of sheep; aquaculture such as catfish, …
Benson Hill Contracts 30,000 Premium Soybean Acres
St. Louis-based crop improvement company Benson Hill has contracted 30,000 acres to advance its non-GMO soybean varieties through partnerships in the consumer food, animal feed and aquaculture markets. “The consumer food, animal feed and aquaculture markets are demanding innovation that improves the health and sustainability profile of their ingredients,” said Chris Wilkins, Chief Operating Officer of Benson Hill. “Our portfolio …
USDA Announces Coronavirus Food Assistance Program
Late Friday U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced a new Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) to assist farmers, ranchers, and consumers in response to the COVID-19 national emergency. President Trump directed USDA to craft this $19 billion immediate relief program to provide critical support to our farmers and ranchers, maintain the integrity of our food supply chain, and ensure …
President Trump Says Help for Farmers Coming Soon
During the daily White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing on Thursday, President Donald Trump said help for hurting farmers is coming soon. “We have money going out to our farmers in the pretty near future,” said President Trump. “The farmers got hurt very badly by all of this. People are eating less from the standpoint that there’s no restaurants that …
GROWMARK FS Members Helping Food Banks
Farmers and grain companies in the Midwest are stepping up to help feed those in need. GROWMARK system members FS GRAIN and Gold Star FS have started accepting grain donations which will raise money for food banks across the region in a move they hope will spread nationwide. Mike Schaver, grain department manager with Gold Star FS, says he is …
Senators Stress COVID-19 Relief for Agriculture
Senator John Hoeven (R-ND) led a Senate colloquy Monday to outline the importance of supporting farmers, ranchers and rural America in legislation to provide relief from the impacts of COVID-19. Hoeven worked to include $50 billion in funding authority for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Joining Hoeven …
Farmers and Ranchers Committed to US Food Supply
America’s farmers and ranchers are committed to doing all they can do to maintain the nation’s food supply amid growing challenges posed by COVID-19. American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) president Zippy Duvall, along with Chalmers Carr, a peach farmer in South Carolina, and John Boelts, a produce farmer in Arizona, gave an update on how farmers are dealing with the …