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Agri Business Review: Specials Magazine
For farmers, every day brings new challenges, from unpredictable weather and shifting markets to labor shortages and endless logistics. That’s why Tend was built: to give growers practical, easy-to-use tools that simplify operations, save time, and support smarter, more sustainable farming. For generations, farmers have managed their operations by instinct, scribbling notes in pocket notebooks, updating half-filled spreadsheets between harvests, and carrying mental checklists from sunrise to sunset. But as agriculture evolved, those methods began to strain under the weight of modern demands. With more records to keep, more rules to follow, and greater complexity to manage, there was rarely time left for what really mattered. Tend was started on a small farm to change that. Created for farmers, Tend launched in 2018 as a farmer-tested platform that brings every aspect of farm management into one place. For the first time, growers could plan crops, track tasks, manage inventory, and sell produce with ease —replacing scattered spreadsheets with a single, intuitive tool built specifically for diversified farms. Before Tend, few modern, farmer-friendly tools existed to effectively manage the complexity of growing diverse crops. The available options were clunky, data-heavy, and made farming feel more like filling out paperwork than feeding people. In a world where every other industry had purpose-built software, farmers were left behind. Tend set out to change that with technology that works the way farmers do.
Top Microbe-Based Fertilizers Service 2025
Agriculture stands at the crossroads of productivity and sustainability amidst a growing population. From feeding 1.6 billion people in 1900 to nourishing over eight billion today, its future depends on organic practices that enrich the soil instead of depleting it. Natures Formula is making this possible by empowering farmers with cost-effective, all-natural microbial fertilizers and probiotic livestock products. A family-owned business, it blends steadfast commitment to customers with visionary product innovation to drive transformative success in agriculture. “We aim to be a true partner to our customers by keeping their success and well-being at the core of everything we do,” says Bill Strange, founder. In an industry plagued by manufacturers luring growers with high-yield guarantees, Natures Formula follows a different path. Every product is rooted in the real-world challenges faced by farmers. The team actively listens to their problems before developing solutions, demonstrating a relentless commitment to customer service. Beyond offering practical solutions, Natures Formula prioritizes cost-efficiency. It maintains steady prices by choosing to sell directly rather than through stores and intermediaries. This provides growers access to affordable organic products, promoting sustainable agriculture practices. Rather than upselling, Natures Formula focuses on educating customers about which product best suits their needs and ensuring that each solution meets their requirements. Personalized guidance begins with a sales manager reaching out to understand their operations. Customers are also given ample information on usage and application to ensure maximum efficiency. The company typically recommends one gallon of the microbial fertilizer per acre, which it considers optimal for achieving the best results. Post product delivery, a dedicated salesperson reaches out to customers and answers any questions on application and usage. Regular follow-ups are conducted to ensure lasting gains and address any emerging challenges. When required, the team visits farms to provide hands-on support.
Top Farmland Investments Service 2025
Clear Frontier Ag Management, founded in 2019 and based in Omaha, NE, is a specialist farmland investment manager that focuses on fostering and enabling the transition to USDA Certified Organic in the U.S. row crop sector. Founder and CEO Justin Bruch, who transitioned their family farm in 2015, saw the benefits of the switch to organic production and decided that creating a structure to tackle the barriers to transition would allow more farmers to follow the same path. He states, “The key barriers are access to knowledge related to the transition process and capital that is aligned to the three-year transition period. Therefore, Clear Frontier seeks to enable farmers to transition to Certified Organic with Clear Frontier as the landlord partner, giving longer-term leases with a payment structure that better aligns with the farmer’s cash flow through the transition period.” Clear Frontier closed its first 10-year fund in 2023 and has over 25k acres under management across many of the core irrigated row crop regions. Charles Newton, partner at Clear Frontier, comments, “Our funds aim to generate the dual benefit of greater financial returns to investors in conjunction with better sustainability and impact outcomes compared to typical conventional farmland funds.” The organic price premium primarily drives the greater returns. The U.S. is a net importer of organic corn and soybeans and sees robust demand. Given the barriers to entry for new supply, these organic crops trade a significant premium to conventional corn and soybeans. This translates to higher farmer profitability and, in turn, farmland rents. Clear Frontier seeks to assist in developing the “organic ecosystem” through facilitating knowledge sharing, off-take market development, technology testing and access to capital. Clear Frontier also partners with many emerging technologies to enable improved data capture and analysis to understand better the impacts, particularly concerning Soil Health and Carbon interactions.
CXO INSIGHTS
Farmer Focused Conservation Sales
Thomas Fawcett, Director, Environmental Resources & Precision Ag, Heartland Co-op
The Path to Sustainable Agriculture Through Collaboration and Innovation
Anna Pierce, Director of Sustainability, Tate & Lyle
Blending Tradition with Innovation: Navigating Sales Strategy, Sustainability and Technology
Dave Gonnella, Vice President of Sales, Gonnella Baking Co
Driving Financial Excellence in Agribusiness Growth
Maximiliano Proano, Senior Director of Finance, Pronaca
Building a Better Food System
Christina O'Keefe, Regional Head of Sustainability, Kerry
Driving Innovation and Sustainability in Poultry Nutrition
Stacey Roberts, Ph.D., Director of Nutrition, Versova
Utilizing Industry 4.0 to transform advanced manufacturing
Mike Lindsey, Director of Manufacturing Systems, Perdue Farms
IN FOCUS
The Evolution of Farmland Investment Services
Farmland investment services are rapidly growing as a robust asset class, driven by global food demand, sustainable practices, and technological innovations, offering investors stability and diversification.
Smart Farming Software: Redefining Agriculture through Data Architecture
The agricultural sector is shifting to data-driven, resource-efficient systems with smart farming software, improving sustainability, minimizing waste, and enhancing water management through advanced analytics and automation.
EDITORIAL
Powering the Next Era of Smart Agriculture
Global agriculture is undergoing a profound transformation driven by data, sustainability and long-term asset value. As food security, climate resilience and efficient resource management take center stage, investors, agribusinesses and farmers are turning to smarter technologies and strategic services to future-proof agriculture.
Farmland is increasingly being recognized as a stable, high-value asset class. With rising demand for sustainable food production and long-term returns, farmland investment services are enabling investors to identify high-potential agricultural land, assess climate and yield risks and build diversified, performance-driven portfolios. Technology-led due diligence, satellite monitoring and predictive yield models are further reshaping how farmland investments are evaluated and managed.
Operational intelligence is redefining farm productivity. Modern agriculture now depends heavily on digital oversight, automation and real-time insights. Farm management software reflects how advanced platforms are helping growers optimize inputs, track crops and livestock, automate compliance, and make data-backed decisions across the farming lifecycle. These solutions are improving efficiency while lowering operational risks and costs.
At the same time, the industry is shifting toward sustainable crop nutrition. Biological innovation is accelerating as soil health and yield improvement become long-term priorities. Microbe-based fertilizers services are leading this transition by replacing chemical dependency with eco-friendly solutions that enhance soil fertility, nutrient absorption and crop resilience.
In this edition, we highlight innovators transforming agriculture through regenerative practices, data-driven farm management, and microbe-based inputs. We also present insights from expert CXOs like Phoenix Duggar, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Ardent Mills, and Cesar Rosero, Vice President of Production at B&W Quality Growers, showing how sustainability and technology together are reshaping farmland investing, farm operations, and crop outcomes.
We hope the insights from industry leaders and the innovative agri-solutions featured here will help you make smarter farmland decisions, strengthen on-farm performance and advance your organization’s sustainability goals.
