SePRO Corporation, the science-led, digital-first leader in water and land restoration, today announced the acquisition of Earth Science Laboratories, Inc. (ESL), a proven provider of advanced water treatment technologies. The addition of ESL expands SePRO’s portfolio of science-led treatment solutions, strengthening support for the water managers, municipalities, and communities responsible for keeping water systems clean, safe, and enjoyable.
Integrating ESL’s fast-acting treatment technologies into the SePRO platform and leveraging over three decades of field science, diagnostic capabilities, and digital intelligence positions SePRO to deliver more precise and comprehensive solutions across a broader range of applications, from lakes and reservoirs to water conveyance infrastructure and drinking water systems serving millions of residents.
“The acquisition of Earth Science Laboratories strengthens our ability to support customers as water challenges continue to evolve,” said Dr. Tyler Koschnick, CEO of SePRO Corporation. “By bringing together ESL’s team and advanced treatment technologies with SePRO’s deep scientific insight and digital intelligence, we are expanding our portfolio to advance water quality and support healthier, more resilient systems over time.”
ESL’s flagship products, EarthTec®, a versatile solution for controlling algae and reducing taste and odor complaints, and EarthTec® QZ, a specialized formulation for invasive mussel control, are widely used across aquatic and municipal environments, including drinking water systems and critical infrastructure.
“SePRO is a strong strategic fit for our technology, and we are confident in their ability to expand our reach to a broader group of customers,” said John Cooper III, CEO of Earth Science Laboratories. “This will improve water quality for both existing and new customers, and importantly, for the people who depend on that water every day. This is a positive outcome for our team, our customers, and the communities we serve.”
For more information about SePRO’s science-led solutions, visit sepro.com.
AgriNovus Indiana, an initiative to grow the agbioscience economy, released new research today identifying critical challenges ripe for innovation that will serve as the foundation for the 2026 Velocity Accelerator, a six-month program that awards entrepreneurs three separate $25,000 cash prizes for their technology solutions in bioinnovation, farmer-focused innovation and food is health.
Conducted by Arrowpoint Labs, the study entitled Advancing Innovation: Priority Areas for Indiana’s Agbioscience Future, updates the sector’s economic impact in Indiana, synthesizes insights from key state and national agbioscience leaders and provides problem statements for the innovation community – from students to startups and existing companies – to solve through Velocity.
“Velocity is an accelerator that focuses on the core challenges facing our agbioscience industry,” said Christy Wright, president and CEO of AgriNovus Indiana. “This study defines where Indiana is best positioned to lead and gives participants the tools they need to create purpose-built, scalable technologies. We look forward to working with our entrepreneurial ecosystem to drive progress in these focus areas.”
According to the study, there are three challenge areas for innovators to address through innovation for this year’s accelerator:
Develop technology that unlocks powerful markets for bio-based products, including focuses on gene editing for operational simplicity, mid-scale biomanufacturing and fermentation infrastructure, and agricultural waste stream biorefinery transformations.
Challenges to address include:
Leverage technology to assist farmers with some of the most critical issues facing their operations; including farm data intelligence and interoperability, regulatory navigation and compliance automation, and human-out-of-loop automation for labor-intensive operations.
Challenges to address include:
Develop and accelerate innovation that increases food and nutrition access and enables food as a driver of health, giving opportunities across the agricultural and health care value chains to positively impact healthier lives, communities and environment.
Challenges to address include:
Presented by Indiana Corn Marketing Council and Indiana Soybean Alliance, Velocity’s three tracks are guided by research and strong mentorship throughout the six-month accelerator. The program will culminate with a demo day event and winning check presentations in October. Companies, individuals and entrepreneurs who want to apply to participate in Velocity can access more information and an application link here. The deadline to register is May 1, 2026.
To read the full study and get more information on the Velocity challenge scopes, click here.
Keystone Cooperative announced today a onetime special equity redemption totaling $38.4 million, representing approximately 43% of all named equity outstanding. This historic distribution reflects Keystone’s long-standing commitment to return value to farmer-members and to uphold the strength, sustainability, and future of family farms across its service area.
The special equity redemption is being issued at a time when many farm operations face significant economic pressure. Keystone’s Board of Directors and leadership team approved the payout as a meaningful way to deliver financial relief without compromising the cooperative’s ability to invest strategically in people, facilities, assets, and long-term growth.
“This redemption is a powerful demonstration of what makes cooperatives unique: value flows back to the people who help create it,” said Kevin Still, President & CEO of Keystone Cooperative. “Our financial strength, which has been accelerated by recent mergers, operational synergies, and continued member loyalty, allows us to return capital at a moment when it can truly make a difference for farm families.”
This redemption includes member equity issued from 1967 through 2020 and is not taxable income, as taxes were paid in the year the equity was earned. Members must be in good standing to receive the distribution, and checks are being mailed directly to eligible farmer-members.
This Special Equity Redemption is part of a broader return of member value in 2026. In total, Keystone will distribute $93.7 million to farmer-members this year, including:
The cooperative will continue to honor its Age 70 redemption policy, and legacy Harvest Land equity issued prior to the 2021 merger remains unaffected, as it was previously returned.
“Our cooperative was built by generations of farmers who believed in shared success, resilience, and long-term vision,” said Bill Peters, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “As Keystone approaches its 100-year anniversary in 2027, this redemption underscores our commitment to supporting member-owners today while safeguarding the financial strength that will carry us into the next century.”
“The heart of our cooperative is, and always will be, our farmer-owners,” Still added. “Together, we are building a bright, resilient, and optimistic future for the next generation of agriculture.”
Oversubscribed round co-led by the Forbion Bioeconomy Fund and Corteva as demand for Tropic’s breakthrough banana varieties surges worldwide
Tropic, the global leader in gene‑edited tropical crops, today announces the close of its oversubscribed $105 million Series C financing to accelerate the global commercial scale up of its banana and rice portfolios, and advance its pipeline of climate resilient crops. The round reflects surging global demand for resilient, sustainable food solutions and Tropic’s proven ability to rapidly and efficiently bring high performance gene‑edited crops to market.
The round was co-led by Forbion through its Bioeconomy Fund and Corteva, through its Corteva Catalyst investment platform, with significant participation from Just Climate and IQ Capital. The round was also supported by new investors ABN Amro and Invest International, and existing investors Temasek, Five Seasons Ventures, Sucden Ventures, Genoa Ventures and Polaris Partners who participated in the round. As part of the financing, Joy Faucher, General Partner at Forbion, Tom Greene, Senior Director at Corteva, and Siddarth Shrikanth, Director at Just Climate, will join Tropic’s Board of Directors. Gustavo Bassetti, Rob Scott, Onno van de Stolpe and Alex Wilson will join as Board observers.
The financing follows a milestone year in which Tropic launched the first new commercial banana varieties in more than 75 years. These include a non-browning banana – named one of TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2025 – and an extended shelf life variety that lengthens green life by an additional 12 days, increasing field yields, enabling new export routes and reducing transportation waste by up to 50 percent.
Furthermore, Tropic greatly advanced its Panama Disease (TR4) resistant programme in 2025, with the shipment of plants to establish a mother plantation – supporting commercial deployment from 2027. Panama Disease (TR4) is fast-spreading, found in more than 20 countries globally, and represents an existential threat for the $25 billion dollar banana industry – threatening food security and farmers livelihoods.
Expanding global production to meet rising demand
With demand for its initial commercial products rapidly outpacing supply, Tropic will use the Series C capital to expand large‑scale plant production capabilities, strengthen global supply chains, and support commercial partnerships across major export markets.
The funding will also accelerate Tropic’s pipeline of banana varieties, developed for natural resistance to devastating diseases such as TR4 and Black Sigatoka, and expand development across its rice portfolio, and support entry into additional high-impact crops to conquer global food supply challenges.
Executive commentary
Gilad Gershon, CEO of Tropic, said:
“This funding is a powerful endorsement of our team’s ability to bring breakthrough products to the hands of growers, exporters and consumers around the world. We are entering a new era, one where gene‑edited crops will significantly enhance food security and sustainability.
2025 proved that our technology delivers – not in the distant future, but right now. With two banana varieties already on the market and demand outstripping supply, this investment enables us to scale global production and expand into new crops faster than ever before. We are excited to be partnering with our new investors as we progress our mission to build a world leading tropical seeds company.”
Joy Faucher, General Partner at Forbion, said:
“Tropic is an exemplary case of how advanced biotechnology can be applied with precision to challenges in planetary health, starting with banana and rice. Escalating disease pressure, limited innovation and a lack of cost-effective solutions are driving a growing environmental and supply chain risk in our food systems.
Tropic has proven its leading position in addressing these threats by bringing its innovative technology to market and providing durable, scalable and resilient solutions to growers. We are proud to partner with an exceptional management team and a like-minded syndicate as Tropic scales commercially and builds a globally leading, category-defining seeds platform.”
Tom Greene, Senior Director at Corteva, said:
“Tropic’s non-browning banana varieties are a promising example of how the agriculture industry is leveraging innovation to deliver new and improved choices for farmers and consumers worldwide. We’re thrilled to support Tropic as we continue to advance our global portfolio of next-generation solutions to help farmers produce more food and feed, sustainably.”
Siddarth Shrikanth, Director, Natural Climate Solutions at Just Climate, said:
“Agriculture drives the majority of nature loss, and waste across food value chains is a meaningful contributor to global carbon dioxide and methane emissions. Based on a decade of breakthrough research, Tropic has developed crop varieties that are disease-resistant, higher-yielding, and hardier in transit to tackle the environmental footprint of our food system at its source. With the technology proven and the first products in market, the company is now at an inflection point. As growth investors supporting the commercial scale-up of transformative nature solutions, we look forward to partnering with the Tropic team and our co-investors to bring their resilient, sustainable tropical crops to growers worldwide.”
Alex Wilson, Partner at IQ Capital, said:
“Tropic is exactly the kind of company we look to back at IQC – deep technology solving a massive real-world problem. Tropic’s gene-editing platform addresses crops that have been essentially unimprovable through conventional breeding, and the results speak for themselves: two banana varieties launched, with strong demand from growers and exporters fuelling significant revenue growth. With TR4 posing an existential threat to a $25bn industry, the urgency behind Tropic’s pipeline is only growing. We are delighted to be supporting Gilad and the team as they scale globally.”
About Tropic
Tropic is a pioneering tropical seeds company dedicated to the development of healthier, more robust, high-performing varieties of tropical crops. The company’s current core crop portfolio focusses on banana and rice, which together provide a source of livelihood to billions of people worldwide. Tropic utilises its proprietary GEiGS® platform and other cutting-edge gene editing technologies to develop improved crops with increased disease resistance, higher yields, and environmentally sustainable traits. By harnessing the power of advanced genetic engineering, Tropic is committed to addressing global agricultural challenges and providing innovative solutions that benefit farmers, consumers, and the environment.
