Manure Challenge

Manure, and other waste by-products on the farm, are becoming increasingly top of mind for farmers and agriculture stakeholders.  As the demand for more regenerative and sustainable agrifood systems increases, proper management, disposal and re-purposing of manure, in a way that does not hurt the bottom line, will become key for farmers and ranchers.  To support innovations and technologies that better create more circular economies on the farm and create new revenue streams for farmers from manure, the Manure Challenge, a global startup competition, was launched with that premise in mind.

The Yield Lab Institute joined forces with Cargill, The Maschhoffs, WeWork Food Labs, Newtrient, Dairy Farmers of America, and our environmental advisory partner, World Wildlife Fund, to organize a startup competition for solutions providers that market manure-based products and services. Through this competition, we sought to advance the manure-based product market by selecting a group of solution providers and guiding them through a structured curriculum that included mentorship, entrepreneurial networking and introduction to strategics, potential customers and markets, and sources of capital.

The finale event for the Manure Innovation Challenge was held virtually on June 2nd, 2020.  Eight international startups, each with a solution to capture value from manure-based by-products, pitched their innovations to a live, worldwide digital audience of nearly 450 agtech stakeholders.  Digested Organics, was announced as the winner of the $50k non-dilutive prize at the virtual finale.

To view a recording of the virtual finale, click the 'More Info' link.