Jul 19, 2022
Clean Seed forges new path for farmers to maximize crop production
- Agriculture is experiencing a quantum shift that has been exacerbated by the ongoing geopolitical crisis overseas
- All at once, we’re experiencing climate change, input cost challenges, shortages, and population growth, which call for smart solutions to revolutionize everything we know about farming
- Clean Seed Capital Group is the pioneer of the world’s most advanced seeding and planting technology
We all know that the human population is only growing, not slowing. To keep up with global food demands, the agriculture industry has been put into an urgent state of crisis. Farmers and growers everywhere are grappling with how to maximize crop production, the outdated technology of the industry just doesn’t maximize opportunity anymore. This puts an immense pressure on the agricultural sector for new, emerging technologies to improve production. At the end of the day, we can’t grow more land. We must work smarter with the land we have — and agriculture needs revolutionary change.
Prior to the Russian invasion, Ukraine was responsible for a significant portion of the world’s vital foods. This included 12 per cent of global wheat exports, 16 per cent of global corn exports, and 46 per cent of global sunflower oil production. With the ongoing months-long conflict, it has completely derailed Ukraine’s ability to plant, harvest, and export its major crops — naturally driving higher costs and fuelling fears of food shortages around the world. With such an over reliance on the world’s singular vital food sources, this crisis has been put on center stage.
With an increase in fertilizer costs, prices of commodities like wheat have gone up as well, while fuel prices have almost doubled in the last year or so. Raw materials in the fertilizer market include ammonia, nitrogen, nitrates, phosphates, potash, and sulfates — and prices for them are all up 30 per cent since the turn of the year, now exceeding those seen during the 2008 food and energy crisis.
Even before the war, agriculture was facing massive pressures with climate change, input costs rising, soil degradation to name a few, the agriculture sector has been faced with challenges for decades that are now a crisis.
Clean Seed Capital: At the forefront of agricultural innovation
It’s no secret that our groceries are getting expensive at unignorable rates. These food shortages are already driving up the cost for basic foods and commodities. We’re headed towards a scarcity that will continue to bid prices up. Clean Seed Capital Group Ltd. (TSX: CSX) is at the tip of the revolution, being the first of its kind to offer a real, smart solution to the long-term agricultural crisis.
Built from the ground up, Clean Seed prides itself as the facilitator of progress to fulfill the world’s new demand, turning solutions for modern agricultural problems into commercially viable products.
An industry first, Clean Seed’s SMART Seeder MAX™ combines precision with accuracy by delivering high-resolution seed and fertilizer prescriptions into the ground (the seeding and planting process). This is done through their proprietary opener row unit, related metering and software systems – which has never been done before. More simply, the machine puts down what you want, where you want it, on every foot or the farm.
Smart isn’t just in the name. Clean Seed’s SMART Seeder technologies leverage data and micromanage every product, up to five products at a time. By managing every single row, agronomic benefits are improved for when and where you need it, all while limiting input costs versus being broadcasted in unmanaged volume.
Driven by their robust proprietary software called SeedSync™, this makes for an ideal seed-to-nutrition planting outcome on every square foot of land. This puts their row-by-row variable rate technology at the forefront of agricultural innovation in a time of dire need.
“There’s a strong environmental push to address climate change, sequester more carbon, find ways to keep organic matters stable on the farm and increase crop production through hyper management of inputs because our population is growing.” – Graeme Lempriere, founder, chairman and CEO of Clean Seed Capital Group Ltd.
SMART Seeder Max™ is the trailblazer for agriculture in the digital age
Its ground engaging delivery systems directly tackle the current soil degradation challenges, while maximizing seed safety to encourage increased yields. Clean Seed’s innovations have created a new class of highly accurate seeding and planting equipment, designed specifically to maximize food output. They have built multiple machines and trialed and demonstrated the benefits across thousands of acres in Canada, rigorously testing as they prepare to commercialize and enter the US, Australia, and India markets.
More recently, Clean Seed sent their Mini-MAX™ to India to support their move as a country to address crop production and environmental challenges. The Mini-MAX™ is a scaled down unit that applies all the benefits of their larger machines, giving the company global reach. This was a remarkable milestone not only for Clean Seed to show that their technologies are scalable, but for agriculture technology advancements for India as well. The benefits of these solutions were no longer limited to large commercial farms but proven valuable to smaller farms beyond North America as well.
“It’s truly taking a detailed agronomic input recommendation and executes directly in the field like a giant printer if you will” says Lempriere.
Digitizing outdated farming technologies
While old air seeder technologies of the past are doing a respectable job in western Canada, the reality is that there’s a growing interest in leveraging the digital world that outdated farming technologies cannot leverage to the maximum potential. Farmers and growers can feel hopeful now with Clean Seed’s team of innovators leading the movement that there is a new revolutionary answer on the horizon. This company is led by a family at the core with financial, mechanical, electrical architects, and experts who have designed the world’s most advanced seeding and planting technology.
New growth opportunities are on the horizon for the agricultural tech market, and the SMART Seeder MAX™ has planted itself as the trailblazer to it all.
The precision farming market is expected to grow from US$8.5 billion in 2022 to US$15.6 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 7.9 per cent. The market’s growth improves food security and enables real-time decision making in agriculture production. So, what does this solve for the agricultural crisis?
The SMART Seeder MAX™ meets the increased food demand through sustainable yield increases, and optimizing input usage, all while maintaining the health of arable land and its soil.
The most innovative seeding tool to emerge in the market at just the right time
Bringing this technology to market: Clean Seed’s recent partnership with Canada West Harvest Center (“CAWHC”) brought the company’s SMART Seeder MAX™ to Saskatchewan, owned by OEM agricultural brand CLAAS — one of the most highly reputable brands in the industry. They have been praised as a natural and perfect product compliment to their existing CLAAS lineup.
In order to be successful in this program, Lempriere knew he would have to hire the best in the business, not the best in agriculture. Individuals from advanced technology and mechanical industries who had a real grasp of electronic control and communication systems, as well as mechanical engineers and integration experts. The company's management team is among the very best in the business, along with a strong board of directors with deep roots in agriculture and industry building.
Agriculture is a permanent, long-term industry while others shake with volatility. With all the money flowing into agricultural tech stocks recently, “people recognize it’s time to revolutionize ancient crop production methods,” says Lempriere.
It has remained stagnant for far too long. It will take technologies from a company like Clean Seed to introduce a new approach: more efficient and environmentally conscious to sustain our future.
A chance to plant a seed in the agricultural tech sector
This company has done all the heavy lifting, after years of rigorous testing and demonstrations, Clean Seed now has the infrastructure to deliver these machines to the market. They are now at the tipping point going from RND into sales and licencing opportunities with technology demonstrations entering Australia, India and the US playing a massive role in the company's international scaling plans. For Clean Seed, 2022 is all about bringing their technologies into these new countries and positioning the company to grow.
Clean Seed’s technologies direct us towards sustainable investing, providing investors with a unique and urgent opportunity to plant their seed in the agricultural tech space. Agriculture is entering a technological revolution — and Clean Seed is leading the movement.
To learn more about how Clean Seed Capital Group Ltd. delivers real benefits to drive global crop production, click here.
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