CountryMark has been recognized as one of Indiana’s largest privately held companies, earning the No. 12 ranking on the Indianapolis Business Journal’s 2026 list of the Largest Indiana Private Companies, based on 2025 revenue.

The annual ranking reported CountryMark generated $1.43 billion in revenue in 2025 and employed 449 team members, including 412 in Indiana. The cooperative was recognized for its oil production, refining, and marketing operations that serve customers throughout the Midwest.

“Being recognized among Indiana’s largest private companies reflects the strength of our member-owned cooperative and the dedication of our employees, members, and business partners,” said Matt Smorch, President and CEO of CountryMark. “For more than a century, CountryMark has remained committed to providing reliable energy solutions while creating value for the communities and member cooperatives we serve.”

Founded in 1919, CountryMark is owned by 14 farm cooperatives headquartered in and around the state of Indiana.

The Indianapolis Business Journal’s Largest Indiana Private Companies list is one of the state’s most comprehensive business rankings and highlights organizations that contribute significantly to Indiana’s economy.

579.7 kW portfolio delivers measurable electricity cost savings and energy resilience for the HBF network of organic egg farmers

Emergent Solar Energy, a leading developer of commercial, industrial and on-farm agricultural solar headquartered in the Purdue Research Park of West Lafayette, has completed nine on-site solar projects for Handsome Brook Farms, a leading producer of organic pasture-raised and free-range eggs.

Jessica Coslow, director of pasture management at Handsome Brook Farms, said, “Handsome Brook Farms is investing in the long-term success and resilience of our network of family farmers. Our brand has always been centered around supporting small family producers.”

The 579.7-kilowatt portfolio spans facilities in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky and now generates on-site power that lowers electricity costs and strengthens energy resilience across the company’s organic egg production operations.

Josiah Troyer, a Handsome Brook Farms producer from Sugarcreek, Ohio, said the results have exceeded expectations.

“From the beginning, I have been extremely pleased with what we accomplished with Handsome Brook Farms and Emergent Solar Energy,” Troyer said. “Their teams stayed in constant communication and focused on the specifics of our farm to develop, design, procure, deliver and install a solar system that reduced our yearly electric bill by 74.23%. Since it was placed in service, the system has maintained 100% uptime and solar production.”

Combined, the nine systems are projected to offset approximately 668 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) annually.

The operational benefits of solar

“On-farm solar has moved from a sustainability gesture to a core capital decision for agricultural producers,” said Jeremy Lipinski, founder and CEO of Emergent Solar Energy. “Across these nine Handsome Brook Farms projects in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, we deployed on-site energy infrastructure that converts rising, unpredictable utility operational expense into a fixed, owned capital expenditure asset. As egg and livestock production continues to electrify, on-site solar is the most direct lever producers have to protect margins and control their long-term cost of energy.”

As energy costs rise across the United States, agricultural producers face growing pressure to improve operational efficiency while protecting profitability. The completed Emergent Solar Energy and Handsome Brook Farms portfolio reflects a long-term infrastructure approach to that challenge.

In addition to reducing energy costs, the completed projects:

• Reduce dependence on utility grid power
• Improve long-term energy cost predictability
• Strengthen operational resilience across multiple facilities
• Advance corporate sustainability and carbon-reduction goals
• Demonstrate leadership in agricultural energy innovation

“More producers and food manufacturers are treating on-site energy generation as a strategic asset rather than a utility expense,” said Zacaria Martinez, commercial business development at Emergent Solar Energy. “Across the Handsome Brook Farms portfolio, we delivered nine solar systems totaling 579.7 kilowatts, each engineered to the individual farm’s load profile and completed on time and on budget.”

New investments support entrepreneurs working to advance food systems, climate resilience, regenerative agriculture, supply chain transparency, sustainability measurement and guest experience innovation.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., July 8, 2026 – Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) today announced that its venture fund, Cultivate Next, has made strategic investments in six innovative companies working to solve critical challenges across agriculture, supply chains, sustainability, food systems and restaurant technology.

The additions to the Cultivate Next portfolio include Benchmark Labs, IMIO, Clean Crop Technologies, Athian, SIMPLi and PopID — each bringing a unique approach to improving how food is grown, sourced, tracked and experienced.

Updates on Cultivate Next ventures can be found at cultivatenext.vc.

Since launching in 2022, Cultivate Next has focused on identifying and supporting early-stage companies that align with Chipotle’s mission to Cultivate a Better World and help accelerate the company’s long-term goal of operating 7,000 restaurants in North America. The fund invests in companies developing technologies and business models that have the potential to create a more resilient, transparent and sustainable food ecosystem.

“Together, these companies demonstrate how innovation is reshaping agriculture, sustainability, supply chains and the guest experience, creating new opportunities to build a more resilient food system,” said Curt Garner, President and Chief Strategy and Technology Officer at Chipotle. “Their technologies have the potential to create meaningful value for farmers, suppliers, restaurant operators and guests alike.”

What industries do these investments represent?

• Climate intelligence and forecasting — Benchmark Labs
• Soil health and agricultural biology — IMIO
• Food quality and waste reduction — Clean Crop Technologies
• Sustainability measurement and emissions tracking — Athian
• Supply chain transparency, nutrient density and Regenerative Organic Certified® sourcing — SIMPLi
• Digital identity, payments and guest experience — PopID

How does Cultivate Next support portfolio companies?
In addition to capital, Cultivate Next portfolio companies gain access to industry expertise, operational insights and opportunities to collaborate with one of the world’s leading restaurant brands as they scale their businesses and technologies.

Benchmark Labs

• What does Benchmark Labs do?
  • Benchmark Labs develops AI-powered weather forecasting and climate intelligence technology that helps agricultural operators make more informed decisions. By combining environmental data, machine learning and predictive analytics, the company provides hyperlocal insights that can improve planning and operational efficiency.
  • Weather is one of the most significant variables affecting agricultural production. As climate conditions become increasingly unpredictable, growers need more precise tools to anticipate risk and make informed decisions. Benchmark Labs’ technology has the potential to help strengthen agricultural resilience and support a more reliable food supply chain.
• Why did Chipotle invest in Benchmark Labs?
  • As weather-related disruptions become more frequent, growers need better tools to anticipate risk and make informed decisions. Benchmark Labs’ technology aligns with Chipotle’s interest in supporting agricultural resilience and long-term supply chain stability.

• What’s the founder story?
  • Carlos Gaitan founded Benchmark Labs after seeing how traditional forecasting tools often fail to provide the localized insights growers need to make critical operational decisions. Drawing on expertise in climate science, AI and agricultural data, he developed the company to help farmers better anticipate weather-related risks and improve resilience in an increasingly volatile climate.

IMIO

• What does IMIO do?
  • IMIO develops microbial agricultural solutions designed to improve soil health, crop performance and farm productivity while reducing dependence on conventional chemical inputs.
• Why did Chipotle invest in IMIO?
  • Soil health influences everything from crop productivity to long-term farm resilience. IMIO’s microbial technologies aim to help growers improve agricultural outcomes while reducing reliance on conventional inputs.

• What’s the founder story?
  • After observing the growing need for healthier soils and a more resilient agricultural system, Charles Smith founded IMIO to help make farming more environmentally and economically sustainable. Today, the company’s biology-driven inputs help growers improve productivity and recapture nutrient value while supporting long-term soil health.

Clean Crop Technologies

• What does Clean Crop Technologies do?
  • Clean Crop Technologies develops technology designed to improve food quality, reduce waste and help agricultural products reach their full value potential.
• Why did Chipotle invest in Clean Crop Technologies?
  • A significant portion of food produced globally is never consumed, creating both economic and environmental challenges.
  • Innovations that help more agricultural products reach their intended market while improving efficiency can create meaningful benefits throughout the supply chain.

• What’s the founder story?
  • Clean Crop Technologies was founded by Daniel White and Daniel Cavanaugh after the pair witnessed firsthand how contamination challenges in agricultural supply chains could limit market access and create significant losses for growers. While working on a groundnut export project in Mozambique, they saw the need for scalable solutions that address these challenges, which led them to launch Clean Crop Technologies.

Athian

• What does Athian do?
  • Athian helps food companies capture and credibly claim environmental improvements by aggregating, verifying and certifying emissions reductions achieved through on-farm practice changes known as protocols.
• Why did Chipotle invest in Athian?
  • As companies face growing expectations around sustainability reporting, access to credible environmental data has become increasingly important. Athian’s technology helps organizations achieve and credibly claim progress toward their environmental goals with greater confidence.
• What’s the founder story?
  • Athian was founded in 2022 by Paul Myer and Kendra Tolley through a collaboration among livestock industry partners. The founders, who both have a personal connection to and passion for agriculture, saw an opportunity to help farmers fund, measure and communicate the environmental impact of their operations at a time when sustainability expectations were rapidly evolving. They bring unique backgrounds in technology, network security and finance to Athian, which led to the creation of a platform designed to improve the connectivity, efficiency and transparency of sustainability efforts across animal agriculture.

SIMPLi

• What does SIMPLi do?
  • SIMPLi is focused on building transparent and responsible supply chains rooted in regenerative organic products while connecting consumers to the origins of their food. The company’s approach also highlights the interconnected benefits of healthier soils, nutrient density, carbon sequestration and sustainability.
• Why did Chipotle invest in SIMPLi?
  • Consumers want greater visibility into where their food comes from and how it was produced. SIMPLi’s approach to sourcing and transparency through regenerative organic practices, third-party nutrient-density testing, and sustainability tracking aligns with growing demand for visibility throughout the supply chain.

• What’s the founder story?
  • SIMPLi was founded in 2020 by husband-and-wife duo Matt Cohen and Sarela Herrada. Herrada’s journey began on her family’s organic farm in Peru, where she gained an early understanding of the connection between agriculture, communities and food production. As she later navigated global food supply chains, she became increasingly aware of the lack of transparency and the challenges faced by many producers. Together, Herrada and Cohen founded SIMPLi to expand access to Regenerative Organic Certified® pantry staples, pairing direct farmer partnerships with independent testing to bring transparency to both how food is grown and the nutrition it delivers.

PopID

• What does PopID do?
  • PopID develops digital identity and payment technologies designed to create more seamless guest experiences across physical and digital environments. The company aims to use biometrics to unleash pay by bank networks in retail in the U.S. and abroad, resulting in substantially lower payment processing fees for merchants.
• Why did Chipotle invest in PopID?
  • Digital ordering, loyalty and payment technologies continue to reshape consumer expectations. PopID’s platform helps create faster and more personalized interactions across digital and physical experiences.

• What’s the founder story?
  • PopID was founded in 2016 by CEO John Miller and a team of technology and business leaders including Kourosh Gohar, Sean Olson and Virginia Dadey. The company’s origin traces back to a concert line, where a nearly depleted phone battery almost prevented Miller and his daughter from accessing their tickets. The experience sparked a simple question: what if consumers didn’t have to rely on phones or physical cards to prove their identity, access services or make payments? That insight led the team to build PopID, a platform designed to create a more seamless and secure digital identity experience through biometric authentication.

What does this program do?

The Fertilizer Investment & Expansion for Long-term Domestic Supply (FIELDS) Program is intended to expand, or bring into operation new, independent domestic fertilizer production capacity in order to provide agricultural producers with additional domestic fertilizer options and strengthen the U. S. fertilizer supply chain. Program funding is intended to support projects that significantly increase domestic process manufacturing capacity and fertilizer availability, including expansions or upgrades of existing facilities, construction of new domestic production facility, shovel-ready projects capable of rapidly increasing domestic supply, and on-site fertilizer terminals and transportation infrastructure that improve supply chain efficiency.

Who may apply?

Entities are eligible regardless of legal structure and may include Tribes, Tribal Entities, Alaska Native Corporations, for-profit entities, corporations, non-profit entities, producer-owned cooperatives and corporations, certified benefit corporations, and state or local government entities. Private entities must be independently owned and operated.

Are there other requirements?

Eligible applicants must:

• Operate within the U.S. and its territories and propose projects that are physically located within the U.S. and its territories ; and

• Be Domestically Owned; and

• Process manufacture or plan to process manufacture in accordance with all federal, state, Tribal and local regulations governing fertilizer process manufacturing; and

• Be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) and must maintain annual SAM registration while an application is active and through the term of an award.

• Additionally, eligible applicants, including affiliates of the eligible applicant, must not hold a market share in production greater than or equal to the entity that holds the fourth largest share of that market for any of the following nutrients or components: nitrogen, sulfur, phosphate, potash, or any combination thereof.

• Multiple applications from affiliated applicant entities (with ‘‘affiliation’’ defined by the Small Business Administration regulation 13 CFR 121.103, or successor regulation) are not permitted. Multiple projects owned by the same applicant entity should be combined into one application before submission.

• Pre-development costs including but not limited to, engineering and other professional fees;
• Working capital to support expanding capacity or increased outputs. While working capital is an eligible use of funds, it cannot be the primary use of funds;
• Modernizing or expanding an existing facility, including expansion and modifications to existing buildings and construction of new buildings at existing facilities;
• Purchasing new, or modernizing existing process manufacturing equipment;
• Customizing and installing equipment, devices, and technology that improves processing functions, worker conditions, or safety;

• Ensuring compliance with occupational and other safety requirements under applicable law; and
• Improving fertilizer logistics (e.g., distribution, transportation, and storage) to benefit producers in a cost-efficient manner. While an expenditure for logistics is an eligible use of funds, it cannot be the primary use of funds.

What is an eligible area?

All areas within the United States and its territories or on Tribal Lands

How do we get started?

Applications submitted in response to this Notice must be filed electronically through Grants.gov unless the applicant has received a prior waiver from the Agency.

Who can answer questions?

Questions can be emailed to [email protected]

What law governs this program?

The FIELDS Program is authorized by section 5(b) of the CCC Charter Act (15 U.S.C. 714c(b) which allows CCC funds to be used to make available materials and facilities required in the production and marketing of agricultural commodities.

Why does USDA Rural Development do this?

The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) is utilizing the services of the Rural Business Cooperative Services to implement the Fertilizer Investment & Expansion for Long-term Domestic Supply (FIELDS) Program.

Applications are now open for Indiana Farm Bureau’s new grant opportunity to assist with the growth and development of women’s agriculture-related small businesses. The organization will award up to five $1,000 grants that may be used to fund training and professional development opportunities, technological enhancements or upgraded equipment for women-owned businesses in Indiana.

“In celebration of the International Year of the Woman Farmer, we wanted to help provide more opportunities for women to succeed in farming and agribusiness,” said Chelsea Poe, INFB’s executive director of education and engagement. “This initiative also aligns with one of our top priorities this year to create incentives for rural entrepreneurship and agricultural diversification. We know funding can be a huge roadblock in growing a business, so hopefully this grant will alleviate that hurdle for some.”

To be eligible, applicants must be 21 years of age or older and represent a woman-owned and agriculture-related business.

The application and more information can be found here. The deadline to apply is midnight on Aug. 15, 2026.

Winners will be recognized on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at Indiana Farm Bureau’s Harvest Dinner, an event to celebrate women in agriculture. The dinner will be held at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds Bicentennial Pavilion in Noblesville, Indiana, and will provide attendees an opportunity to network. Natasha Cox, senior vice president of agricultural lending for Farm Credit Mid-America, will provide the keynote address.

Registration is required but attendance is open to anyone. The cost is $50, which includes the meal and a drink ticket. A portion of each registration fee will go toward the Janis E. Highley memorial fund through the Farm Bureau Foundation, supporting the Women’s Leadership Committee and Young Farmers & Ag Professionals at INFB. For more information and to register, visit www.infb.org/events.

CARMEL, Ind. (July 7, 2026) — SEPRO ScientificTM, formerly known as SePRO Corporation, today announced the launch of a comprehensive brand refresh that unifies the company’s Water and Land divisions under the SEPRO Scientific name. The evolution reflects the company’s continued focus on delivering customer value through science-led insights, digitally-integrated solutions, and measurable outcomes, while reinforcing its long-standing commitment to science as the foundation for solving complex environmental challenges.

This transformation builds on the company’s 30-year legacy of solving complex environmental challenges while strategically positioning it for the future of water health, land management, and digital innovation. Recent acquisitions, including Earth Science Laboratories, GreenEYES, Arietta.ai, and Resolve Hydro, reinforce the company’s evolution into an integrated platform combining digital diagnostics, AI-powered insights, and proven restoration solutions.

“For decades, SEPRO has been trusted by customers to assist in solving some of the most pressing issues in surface water management and environmental stewardship,” said Dr. Tyler Koschnick, President & CEO. “SEPRO Scientific represents a powerful evolution of that legacy and commitment. We remain a science-led organization at our core, focused on delivering efficient, sustainable solutions that directly support our customers’ goals, while making bold investments in advanced technology that enable faster, smarter decision-making and more reliable outcomes.”

The updated brand supports SEPRO’s continued commitment to research, innovation, and partnerships that protect, preserve, and restore natural ecosystems. As the company scales its digital capabilities and integrated solutions, the refreshed brand provides a strong foundation for the next chapter of impact and growth as a leader in environmental health.

“As the pace of change across our industry accelerates, we are anticipating the need for increased innovation,” said Koschnick. “This is a transformative moment for our company, and we are moving forward with the energy, vision, and ambition to create lasting value for the customers we serve. We are science-led, future-focused, and purpose-driven.”

Updates will be introduced through a phased rollout across communications and product packaging, ensuring continuity for customers while delivering a more consistent, future-focused brand experience.