News Manure Application Success in Agriculture
Manure start-up Livestock Water Recycling wins ag pitch competition

Canadian agriculture and food technology companies Livestock Water Recycling (LWR) and Terramera emerged victorious to claim $1.25 million USD after the final pitching competition in the Nutrien-Radicle Challenge on October 1 and 2 in Saskatoon.

Livestock Water Recycling of Calgary took home the $250,000 USD prize in the early-stage category for their technology that segregates and concentrates manure nutrients into two valuable fertilizer products while recycling clean water for reuse.

“We have some big visions and this chunk of money can help us scale our manufacturing so we can be able to ship into the market more quickly and start to grow internationally with partners,” said Karen Schuett, founder and CEO of Livestock Water Recycling. “And through our interaction with Nutrien and Radicle, we can turn this into something that really changes the game in our industry.”

About Livestock Water Recycling

LWR is modernizing manure management with an automated treatment platform that employs technology never before considered in manure handling. The LWR System separates and concentrates manure into a dry solid fertilizer rich in phosphorus and organic nitrogen, a stable ammonium and potassium liquid micronutrient fertilizer, and clean potable water. The nutrient and water recovery capacity of the LWR System has been recognized as the highest on the market. With the LWR System, farms reduce expenses while increasing productivity and crop yields through precision application of nutrients. Not only do they reduce both their greenhouse gas emissions and freshwater withdrawals, they can also introduce new revenue by participating in the circular economy.

The LWR System separates and concentrates manure into a dry solid fertilizer rich in phosphorus and organic nitrogen, a stable ammonium and potassium liquid micronutrient fertilizer, and clean potable water.

LWR co-founder and CEO Karen Schuett is enthusiastic about what this partnership will mean for livestock farmers and the future of the manure economy. “We are looking for pathways to distribute farm created fertilizers, while gaining access to fertilizer buyers and sales partners,” she says. She is also enthusiastic about what this investment means for female founded companies in the agtech sector.

According to a recent report, only seven percent of agri-foodtech deals and three percent of the dollars invested in the sector 2018 went to female-founded teams, and only 16 percent of deals and five percent of investment dollars supported startups with at least one female co-founder.

Investing in ag innovation

Terramera of Vancouver, BC, took home the US$1 million prize in the growth-stage category. The company develops high-performance natural alternatives to synthetic chemical pesticides and fertilizers and has pioneered a method to target active ingredients to cellular delivery. It recently raised $45 million USD in equity funding to advance its “Actigate Targeted Performance” technology.

The Nutrien-Radicle Challenge Canada was created to encourage and accelerate ag and food technology innovation in Canada. More than 100 of Canada’s agriculture and food technology innovators applied, with eight finalists pitching to a panel of judges.

Growth stage entrants were required to have previously raised US$3 million in investment capital, while early stage entrants needed to have raised at least US$100,000 in investment capital, in kind capital, or have gone through an incubator or accelerator program.