Local ag company wins state grant

WASHINGTON — A soil health consultant and farm in Washington County has won a half-million dollar loan from the state, in what the business called a “milestone” for its team.

“We are grateful for the continued support from IEDA,” said Continuum Ag Founder and CEO Mitchell Hora. “This loan, and our matching contributions, will help us go further to bring value to family farms and continue to strengthen our rural communities!”

The Iowa Economic Development Authority said in a press release the $500,000 Innovation Acceleration Propel Fund loan would aid in “IP development and evaluation, product refinement, key personnel and market planning and entry activities” at the company.

Continuum Ag sells software that monitors and recommends regenerative agricultural practices. The loan announced by IEDA Jan. 17 wasn’t the company’s first time in the spotlight; it also got a $250,000 boost in 2023 to develop carbon intensity scoring software, hosted a visit from the state secretary of agriculture in 2020, and it made waves with high marks at the statewide Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge in 2018.