EFFINGHAM, IL, MARCH 31, 2010 – “Bringing Money to the Table:  How to Finance Sustainable Agriculture” was the topic of the panel discussion at the Ag 2.0 Conference held recently in Palo Alto, CA.  The conference brought together the entrepreneurs developing technologies and ideas necessary for strengthening America’s agricultural system and the investors looking to deploy capital into cutting-edge businesses. 

As one of the only panelists representing the heartland of America where agriculture is a way of life for many, Jim Schultz, founder of Open Prairie Ventures, shared his expertise and lessons learned from his farming background and family seed business as well as observations from his 25+ years as an entrepreneur, advisor and investor on securing funding in highly under-capitalized sectors such as sustainable agriculture.  

“Open Prairie leverages its eco-center philosophy to uncover solid investment opportunities within the agricultural ‘Super Cluster’ that exists in the Midwest region,” said Schultz.  “Our investment in Vestaron, a Kalamazoo, Michigan-based company developing the next generation of insecticides that are safe for the environment, a prime example of the types of game-changing technologies that exist within the agricultural sector.”