Natalie Rubio

Nutrition advice is everywhere. Convenient, healthy food isn't. At Agriculture Capital, we're closing that gap by investing in crops that are as convenient as they are delicious - Sumo citrus and organic blueberries - that captures value from regenerative soil to retail shelf. The result: healthy options that scale through major retailers while meeting surging consumer demand for clean, accessible produce. Read how we're investing in healthy eating from soil to shelf in our latest newsletter: https://lnkd.in/e7W9zCXB

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We're excited to introduce Michael Rhys, one of NCPA's 2026 Emerging Leaders! Michael is the CEO & cofounder of Barnwell Bio, a microbiome and pathogen monitoring platform for poultry operations. Barnwell Bio uses metagenomic sequencing of barn-level samples to provide producers and veterinarians with early pathogen detection and actionable flock health insights. Before starting Barnwell Bio, Michael was the chief of staff at Biobot Analytics, the company that scaled up the first national Covid-19 wastewater surveillance system. Michael has a masters degree with distinction from the University of Cambridge and completed his undergraduate degree at Dartmouth College. 🐔🎓 The North Central Poultry Association's Emerging Leaders Program supports professionals early in their careers or new to the poultry industry with hands-on development, leadership growth, and valuable connections across Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, & beyond.

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The biggest story in #Agtech in 2025 wasn’t explosive growth, it was #resilience. Across regenerative ag, biologicals, robotics, and indoor farming, the sector faced hard realities and proved which models can actually endure. USDA pilots tested financing for regenerative farming practices, biologicals matured, robotics shifted from hype to integration, and indoor farming went through a difficult reset. Having gone through the crucible in 2025, this new year becomes the real test: can #agtech turn durability into scalable, lasting impact for growers? https://lnkd.in/es2sy5Dj

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Consistency drives quality — and quality drives yield. 🌱 Bosky Genetics, a premium California cultivator, partnered with Growlink to unify environmental controls, irrigation, sensors, and under-canopy lighting into one precision automation platform. The results speak for themselves: ✔️ 30%+ increase in yield per room ✔️ Improved quality ratio from 50/50 to 80/20 A-buds vs. smalls ✔️ Lower labor and input costs through smarter plant counts ✔️ Simplified operations with one intuitive control system See how precision automation helped Bosky do more with less. https://lnkd.in/epNySeFv #CannabisCultivation #AgTech #Automation #ControlledEnvironmentAgriculture #Growlink

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Dairy farmers today face invisible threats like mycotoxins and endotoxins, damaging gut health, fertility, and performance. UltraSorb R 3.0 offers triple-action protection: Binds, transforms, and degrades toxins Frees up energy for milk, growth, and fertility Delivers on average over 5:1 ROI (at 32ppl) Watch the video to see how it protects performance and unlocks profit. #UltraSorbR3 #FeedInnovation #AnimalNutrition #MycotoxinManagement #EndotoxinManagement #NextGeneration #LivestockPerformance #VolacFeedAdditives

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🚜 NEW EPISODE on the Mission Ops Possible Podcast. An incredible conversation with Artemis Llamosi, PhD. and CTO of Inarix, who's turning smartphones into pocket laboratories for crop quality assessment. Very timely as it’s peak harvest time 🌾 I loved this gem from the end of the episode: "Stay a beginner, always. Never assume. Not knowing opens you up to really hearing what people have to say and then experimenting because people cannot tell you everything." This mindset is everything for startup founders and ops leaders. The moment you think you know it all is the moment you stop learning. And you'll get many more wise Ops words in the full episode: → How to build tech that's simple for non-technological users → Scaling operations during seasonal spikes (harvest) → The leverage power of tooling v. growing headcount → Using AI to modernize traditional industries Listen to the full episode now. And let me know what resonates with you most! 👉 Link in comments. #MissionOpsPossible #StartupOperations #Leadership #Ops #Podcast

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A great report from Farm Journal Foundation highlighting major threats to U.S. agriculture in the Mean Sixteen list. One excellent insight in the report: "new pest and disease threats are constantly emerging, so it's difficult to know for certain what our next big outbreak will be". We need broad-spectrum disease resistance to control known and unknown disease threats!

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Starter fertility isn’t just about feeding the crop, it’s about access. Cold soils slow nutrient uptake, which limits early growth. A well-designed starter program helps ensure nutrients are available when roots need them most. Low-salt, in-furrow solutions paired with micronutrients can support early vigour without risking seed safety. Early access drives early performance. Learn more from our Agronomy experts: https://ow.ly/5YqC50YWzEJ #OntAg #GrowWithSylvite

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"One-size-fits-all" doesn't work in advanced nutrition. An infant formula manufacturer in Asia has completely different technical specs than an immunity supplement brand in the US. Yet traditional dairy lactoferrin forces them to accept a variable product. As Elaine Watson reports for AgFunder, our joint venture, PFerrinX, is solving this variability problem. By mastering iron saturation levels via precision fermentation, we move beyond the constraints of agriculture. We can now deliver customised specs—from precise iron-loading for infants to high-potency antimicrobial variants—at commercial scale. We are moving from sourcing ingredients to designing them. Excited for what we are building alongside the Earth First Food Ventures team. #SupplyChain #FunctionalIngredients #FutureOfFood

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OSA Launches Seed Labeling Database 💻 🌱 The Oregon Seed Association's Seed Labeling Database is now live, providing the seed industry a single, easy-to-use resource for U.S. state seed labeling rules. With the vegetable seed database launching this week, and the turf and grass seed database in July, both offer current labeling requirements from all 50 states, helping seed producers and distributors save time, reduce risk, and improve accuracy. Explore the database here: https://lnkd.in/b5xa7 Funded through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, Bryant Christie Inc. (BCI) built this database for the Oregon Seed Association, in partnership with Karen Withers of AgCultured Consulting, LLC who researched the regulatory complexities of each state to ensure the database provides accurate, up-to-date information. This project demonstrates BCI’s ability to support the seed industry not only through grant-funded initiatives but also by developing custom digital solutions that streamline regulatory compliance and improve operational efficiency. 💡 Learn more about our customized resource centers and data dashboards here: https://lnkd.in/b5xa7 #SCBGP #SeedIndustry #Seed #LabelingRequirements #RegulatorySolutions #GrantWriting #MarketDevelopment #Data #DataDashboards #VegetableSeed #TurfSeed #GrassSeed

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Now this was a fun one to work on. As we kicked off a big week at the MISTA Growth Hack on Healthspan and set up for deep networking conversations at Future Food-Tech, we also announced a significant platform breakthrough. As an athlete I’ve always paid close attention to the macronutrients I consume including those lesser know fatty acids. It make me incredibly proud that our amazing team was able to produce palmitoleic acid, an Omega 7 known for cardio-metabolic and ingestible skin health with concentrations unmatched in any other source. Proud work moment!

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🌱 Exciting News from ActiveCross! 🌱 We’re thrilled to announce that two of our novel biopesticides have received EPA registration support from the USDA The IR-4 Project—representing over $200,000 in non-dilutive funding. The IR-4 Project plays a pivotal role in advancing crop protection solutions for a wide range of fruits and vegetables that make our meals healthier and more flavorful. Our products were selected because they address real, unmet needs faced by growers today. At ActiveCross, we're dedicated to developing natural, sustainable crop protection solutions tailored to specialty crops. Why? Because we believe in a future where healthy, diverse produce is protected—naturally. We love fruits and vegetables. And we think you do too. 🍓🥦🍑 #SustainableAg #CropProtection #Biopesticides #SpecialtyCrops #FoodSecurity #AgInnovation #ActiveCross

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This afternoon, we heard from writers Jan Dutkiewicz (Pratt Institute) and Michael Grunwald on a panel led by Daniel Blaustein-Rejto (Breakthrough Institute). The panelists discussed the need for agricultural innovations to meet growing food demands while minimizing negative impacts, suggesting alternative proteins as a promising avenue. In addition, they called for better regulation of the impacts caused by the agricultural industry, applauding Denmark’s tax on agriculture emissions as an example.

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In a recent feature in Dairy Processing Magazine, Veronique Lagrange, Director of the CMAB’s California Dairy Innovation Center, explores the evolving landscape of protein innovation—and how dairy is leading the way. With nearly 75% of Americans classified as overweight or obese, rising use of GLP-1 weight-loss medications, and an aging population focused on mobility and strength, high-quality protein is more than a trend—it's a societal imperative, and dairy delivers. From CDIC-supported research and university pilot programs to the launch of high-protein ice creams, enriched creamers, and even fortified pet snacks, innovation is happening at every level of the dairy supply chain. Milk proteins offer unmatched digestibility, versatility, sustainability, and affordability. We’re proud to support the CDIC’s efforts to push dairy forward—one functional, protein-packed product at a time. #RealCaliforniaMilk #DairyInnovation #ProteinPower #HealthAndWellness  

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Some challenges in hatcheries are invisible at first glance. An egg may look clean — yet it can carry thousands of microorganisms that thrive under incubation conditions and negatively impact hatchability, chick health, and flock performance. For decades, formaldehyde fumigation was the standard desinfection solution. Effective, but increasingly questioned due to its impact on embryos, worker safety, and the environment. That is where our research began. Our goal was clear: reduce microbial load on hatching eggs reliably, without chemicals and without compromising hatchery throughput. The result is a chemical‑free electron beam disinfection process capable of treating up to 20,000 eggs per hour. Our eggytizer delivers: → A reduction of microorganisms on the eggshell → No impact on hatchability and chick survival rates → No residues, no health risks, no environmental trade‑offs Responsible innovation means solving today’s problems without creating new ones for tomorrow. For 10 years, that has been our standard at AAT. #aat #10years #eggytizer #animalwelfare #chemicalfree

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