Rehovot, Israel – March 13, 2024 — Lavie Bio Ltd., a leading ag-biologicals company that develops microbiome-based, computational-driven bio-stimulant and bio-pesticide novel products and a subsidiary of Evogene Ltd. (Nasdaq: EVGN, TASE: EVGN), today announced that Ceres Global Ag Corp. (“Ceres”) a global agricultural, energy and industrial products merchandising and supply chain company, has chosen Lavie Bio as a supplier in its sustainability programs with grain producers. Ceres will integrate Lavie Bio’s bio-inoculant, YalosTM, into its regenerative agriculture initiatives across the USA and Canada.
“We believe that regenerative agriculture is an integral part of addressing climate change and creating positive outcomes for both our farm partners and our planet”, said Carlos Paz, President and CEO at Ceres Global Ag Corp. “By collaborating with Lavie Bio, we are well-positioned to foster more efficient growing practices and continue to offer tailored solutions to strategic customers”.
Lavie Bio is focused on transformation of the crop input sector through the development of biologicals as alternatives for synthetic products. Lavie Bio developed YalosTM to seamlessly integrate with farmers’ current operational practices. Using solutions like YalosTM, Ceres’ goal is to support farmers’ productivity, the goals of millers, and broader sustainability goals within the agricultural industry.
Ceres is building scalable regenerative agriculture programs that deliver value to both the grower and the milling customer in the spring wheat, durum, and oats segments. Ceres’ selection of YalosTM as an element of its 2024 crop-year program is consistent with its continuing commitment to support innovation for grower-friendly crop input and sustainability practices that satisfy demand for regeneratively-grown products.
Jeff Wildeman, Managing Director at Ceres Global Ag Corp. commented: “Identifying and deploying local, scalable solutions that deliver value to both the grower and the end user while delivering positive environmental outcomes, is key to regenerative agriculture. We believe that our collaboration with Lavie Bio provides spring wheat and durum growers with another tool as they continue to evolve their production practices.”
“We are excited to partner with Ceres, whose extensive presence in North American agriculture, energy, and supply chains enhances our impact. Their commitment to regenerative agriculture aligns with Lavie Bio’s mission to produce healthier food and foster a sustainable environment while increasing productivity and value”, said Amit Noam, CEO at Lavie Bio. He added, “At Lavie Bio, we understand that achieving our goals requires collaboration with key players in the food value chain, and working with Ceres exemplifies the necessary teamwork to promote sustainable agriculture.”
About YalosTM
YalosTM is a microbial based inoculant, that has been designed to empower plant performance based on its ability to improve the availability and efficiency of nutrient use, thereby increasing yield, and improving growers’ profitability, while contributing to environmental sustainability and soil health. YalosTM is a water dispersible granule (WDG) and is to be applied as a seed treatment.
About Lavie Bio Ltd.:
Lavie Bio, a subsidiary of Evogene Ltd., aims to improve food quality, sustainability, and agriculture productivity through the introduction of microbiome-based ag-biological products. Lavie Bio utilizes a proprietary computational predictive platform, the BDD platform, powered by Evogene’s proprietary MicroBoost AI tech-engine, harnessing the power of big data, artificial intelligence, and advanced informatics, for the discovery, optimization and development of bio-stimulant and bio-pesticide products.
For more information, please visit www.lavie-bio.com.
About Evogene Ltd.
Evogene (Nasdaq: EVGN, TASE: EVGN) is a computational biology company aiming to revolutionize the development of life-science based products by utilizing cutting edge technologies to increase probability of success while reducing development time and cost. Evogene established three unique technological engines – MicroBoost AI, ChemPass AI and GeneRator AI – leveraging Big Data and Artificial Intelligence and incorporating deep multidisciplinary understanding in life sciences. Each technological engine is focused on the discovery and development of products based on one of the following core components: microbes (MicroBoost AI), small molecules (ChemPass AI), and genetic elements (GeneRator AI). Evogene uses its technological engines to develop products through subsidiaries and with strategic partners. Currently, Evogene’s main subsidiaries utilize the technological engines to develop human microbiome-based therapeutics by Biomica Ltd., medical cannabis products by Canonic Ltd., ag-chemicals by AgPlenus Ltd. and ag-biologicals by Lavie Bio Ltd. For more information, please visit: www.evogene.com
Investor Relations Contact
Rachel Pomerantz Gerber I Head of Investor Relations at Evogene
rachel.pomerantz@evogene.com I Tel: +972-8-9311901
About Ceres Global Ag Corp.
Ceres and its subsidiaries add value across agricultural, energy and industrial supply chains through efficient sourcing, storing, transporting and marketing of high–quality agricultural commodities, value– added products and raw materials. Leveraging its network of commodity logistics centers and team of industry experts, Ceres connects farmers to customers around the world.
Ceres is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, and together with its affiliated companies, operates 11 locations across Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Minnesota. These facilities have an aggregate grain and oilseed storage capacity of approximately 29 million bushels.
Ceres has a 50% interest in Savage Riverport, LLC (a joint venture with Consolidated Grain and Barge Co.), a 50% interest in Berthold Farmers Elevator, LLC (a joint venture with The Berthold Farmers Elevator Company), a 50% interest in Farmers Grain, LLC (a joint venture with Farmer’s Cooperative Grain and Seed Association), a 50% interest in Gateway Energy Terminal (an unincorporated joint venture with Steel Reef Infrastructure Corp.), a 25% interest in Stewart Southern Railway Inc. (a short–line railway located in southeast Saskatchewan with a range of 130 kilometers), and a 17% interest in Canterra Seed Holdings Ltd. (a Canada–based seed development company).
For more information about Ceres, please visit www.ceresglobalagcorp.com
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” relating to future events. These statements may be identified by words such as “may”, “could”, “expects”, “intends”, “anticipates”, “plans”, “believes”, “scheduled”, “estimates” or words of similar meaning. For example, Lavie Bio and Evogene are using forward-looking statements in this press release when they discuss the ability of the regenerative agriculture to addressing climate change, the ability of Lavie Bio to transform the crop input sector through the development of biologicals as alternatives for synthetic products. Such statements are based on current expectations, estimates, projections, and assumptions, describe opinions about future events, involve certain risks and uncertainties which are difficult to predict and are not guarantees of future performance. Therefore, actual future results, performance, or achievements of Evogene and its subsidiaries may differ materially from what is expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond the control of Evogene and its subsidiaries, including, without limitation, the current war between Israel and Hamas and any worsening of the situation in Israel such as further mobilizations or escalation in the northern border of Israel, and those risk factors contained in Evogene’s reports filed with the applicable securities authorities. In addition, Evogene and its subsidiaries rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties to conduct certain activities, such as their field-trials and pre-clinical studies, and if these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties, comply with regulatory requirements or meet expected deadlines, Evogene and its subsidiaries may experience significant delays in the conduct of their activities. Evogene and its subsidiaries disclaim any obligation or commitment to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or developments or changes in expectations, estimates, projections.