- Study Finds a Nine Per Cent Increase in Daily Weight Gain
for Cows Fed Using HydroGreen Fresh Forage
- Study Validates Value for Carbon Commercialization Using
HydroGreen Fresh Forage Emission Reductions, Validates Potential
for Additional Cash Flow Stream
VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 10,
2022 /PRNewswire/ - CubicFarm® Systems Corp.
("CubicFarms" or the "Company") (TSX: CUB) a leading
local chain agricultural technology company, today announced the
preliminary results of its methane and carbon dioxide-equivalent
reduction study (the "Carbon Study") and beef finishing carcass
study (the "Carcass Study"). The Company also provided updates
related to the Company's HydroGreen division and previously
announced carbon commercialization program and a corporate
update.
Study data indicates significant improvements in animal
performance and a reduction in the environmental footprint of
cattle, while providing compelling unit economics and payback
period.
Study Highlights
Carcass Study
- Results through the beef finishing stage demonstrated
approximately a nine per cent increase in daily weight gain, a six
per cent increase in dry matter intake, and a four per cent
increase in nutritional efficiency
- Confirmed: In line with previous studies, the Carcass Study
showed that feeding beef cattle HydroGreen fresh forage lowered
methane emissions by approximately 48 per cent on a per kilogram
weight gain basis
Carbon Study
- A preliminary lifecycle analysis indicates total carbon dioxide
equivalents ("CO2e") reduction in the range of
approximately 1.8 to 2.3 tonnes per head per annum for beef cattle,
largely dependent on certain assumptions related to daily rate of
gain versus control
- Six commercial scale HydroGreen Automated Vertical Pastures™
("AVPs") generating fresh forage have the potential to reduce over
5,000 metric tonnes of CO2e per year
Quantification of Value
- The daily rate of gain increase of 0.13 kilograms per day, when
combined with an assumed approximately USD$6.61 realized revenue per kilogram of weight
gain1, results in daily increased revenue of
approximately USD$0.86, or
USD$314 annually, per animal fed
fresh forage grown using commercial scale AVPs exclusive of
additional qualitative benefits described below under "Premium
Co-Benefits"
- Carbon credits could conservatively realize between
USD$12.50 to over USD$20 per tonne of CO2e at current
pricing in various offset markets, which is expected to increase
with global net zero commitments. The opportunity given compliance
market acceptance, or with party-to-party carbon inset sales, could
be significantly greater
Verra Carbon Standard
certification can be used to monetize greenhouse gas ("GHG")
emission reductions by converting them into tradeable carbon
credits. The enteric methane reductions are understood to be
categorized under the VM40001 methodology, which would allow for
sales in carbon credit offset markets.
HydroGreen Patents Pending
Issuance
HydroGreen has filed patent applications that protect its
proprietary growing methods, including HydroGreen's indoor growing
system hardware design. Over the past several months, HydroGreen
has filed eight additional patent applications related to
HydroGreen's process and benefits of sprouting grains, reducing
methane in beef cattle, and improving fertility in cattle.
In addition to the Carbon Study and the Carcass Study beef data,
previously announced research data demonstrated that feeding dairy
cows HydroGreen fresh forage lowers methane emissions by
approximately 24 per cent on a per unit milk output basis.
HydroGreen continues to pursue further dairy studies to extend the
addressable carbon commercialization for the dairy market.
Carbon Credit
Opportunity
Global consumer demand for beef and dairy is expected to grow
for the foreseeable future2 as global living standards
rise. To mitigate the environmental effects of increased global
consumer demand for beef and dairy, livestock producers will need
to invest in innovative solutions to reduce methane emissions from
cattle, such as HydroGreen technology.
By pre-selling farm-based inset and offset carbon credits to
organizations with net-zero goals, the Company believes it is
ideally positioned to create recurring cash flow from operations
and capture carbon credit streams as demand and value of carbon
credits increase.
Premium Co-Benefits
In addition to the methane reduction from feeding cattle fresh
forage grown in commercial scale AVPs, the Company identified
premium co-benefits, including:
- Reducing the number of acres needed to grow feed crops
- Land upcycling by substituting 15 to 20 per cent of
conventional feeds
- Diminished fuel and energy use contributing to a 7.4 per cent
reduction in fuel and energy emissions
- Potential qualitative benefits, which remain to be fully
validated, include fewer liver abscesses, optimized fat
distribution, and an improvement in rumen papillae length and
width
"It isn't often that a globally applicable technology can both
benefit the environment and drive performance increases supported
by compelling unit economics," said Dave Dinesen, Chief Executive
Officer, CubicFarms. "HydroGreen continues to prove its value as a
leading livestock feed technology that not only significantly
improves animal performance and delivers meaningful environmental
benefits, but also positions us to enter the carbon credit
market."
Corporate Update
A total of 223 CubicFarm System and HydroGreen sales orders
under contract that are pending manufacturing, installation, and
site readiness, are valued at approximately USD$30.7 million:
Geographic
Territory
|
Country
|
Division
|
Number of
Modules
|
Estimated Value
(USD Millions)
|
Expected
Completion
Date
|
Indiana
|
USA
|
Fresh
|
20
|
3.0
|
2022 Q3
|
New South
Wales
|
Australia
|
Fresh
|
19
|
2.7
|
2022 Q4
|
Manitoba
|
Canada
|
Fresh
|
27
|
4.0
|
2023 Q1
|
British
Columbia
|
Canada
|
Fresh
|
26
|
3.4
|
2023 Q1
|
Montana
|
USA
|
Fresh
|
21
|
2.9
|
2023 Q2
|
British
Columbia
|
Canada
|
Fresh
|
100
|
12.6
|
2023 Q4
|
Texas
|
USA
|
Feed
|
10
|
2.1
|
2022 Q4
|
Total
|
|
|
223
|
30.7
|
|
FreshHub Commercial Validation
Project
CubicFarms has completed Phase I of its rapid project to achieve
commercial validation of its larger FreshHub configuration using
the CubicFarm System technology and approach, prior to the
installation of the first FreshHub targeting the end of
December 2023. Phase II is currently
underway, with Phase III equipment being ordered for
installation:
|
Intention
|
Target Commercial
Outcome
|
Progress
|
Phase
I
|
Proof of concept
using
latest CubicFarm
System technology
|
Build and manufacture
the FreshHub
prototype modules
|
Complete
|
Phase
II
|
Validate produce
output
|
Growing the volume of
produce
necessary at scale and quality to run a
FreshHub operation
|
Targeting
October 2022
|
Phase
III
|
Validate commercial
earnings
|
Validate operating
model economics to
run a FreshHub operation, targeting a
return on invested capital of 20%
|
Targeting
February 2023
|
Footnotes
1Assumed
value based on estimates of realized pricing. Wholesale market
pricing for beef ranges from approximately USD$3.50 per kilogram.
for ground beef to approximately USD$24.50 for choice grade
tenderloin. Source: United States Department of Agriculture market
news for the week ended August 5, 2022.
|
|
2Organization for Economic Co-Operation
and Development (OECD).
|
About HydroGreen
HydroGreen's Automated Vertical Pastures™ technology utilizes a
unique process to sprout grains, such as barley and wheat, in a
controlled environment with minimal use of land, labour and water.
HydroGreen's fully automated indoor growing technology performs all
growing functions including seeding, watering, lighting,
harvesting, and re-seeding – all with the push of a button – to
deliver nutritious fresh forage for livestock without the typical
investment in fertilizer, chemicals, fuel, field equipment, and
transportation. Automated Vertical Pastures™ not only provide
superior nutritious feed to benefit the animal, but also enables
significant environmental benefits to the farm.
About CubicFarms
CubicFarms is a leading local chain agricultural technology
company developing and deploying technology to feed a changing
world. Its proprietary ag-tech solutions enable growers to produce
high quality, predictable produce and fresh livestock feed with
HydroGreen Nutrition Technology, a division of CubicFarm Systems
Corp. The CubicFarms™ system contains patented technology for
growing leafy greens and other crops onsite, indoors, all year
round. CubicFarms provides an efficient, localized food supply
solution that benefits our people, planet, and economy.
For more information, please visit www.cubicfarms.com.
On behalf of the Board of Directors
"Dave Dinesen"
Dave Dinesen, Chief Executive Officer
Forward looking and other
cautionary statements
Certain statements in this release constitute
"forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information"
within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including,
without limitation, statements with respect to: the Company's
ability to qualify the methane reduction achieved through AVPs for
carbon credits, the quantification of value of the AVPs and the
market for carbon credits generally, the expected completion date
of projects under contract and the anticipated dates for completion
of Phase II and Phase III of the FreshHub Commercial Validation
Project. Such statements involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual
results, performance, or achievements to be materially different
from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or
implied by such forward-looking statements including: verification,
cancellation and other risks associated with carbon credits;
reduction in demand for carbon credits; changes in government
regulation; estimates of market opportunity for carbon credits and
forecasts of market growth may prove to be inaccurate. Such
statements can be identified by the use of words such as "intend",
"expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "estimate", "scheduled",
"forecast", "predict", and other similar terminology, or state that
certain actions, events, or results "may", "can", "could", "would",
"might", or "will" be taken, occur, or be achieved.
These statements reflect the Company's current expectations
regarding future events, performance, and results and speak only as
of the date of this news release. Consequently, there can be no
assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and
actual results and future events could differ materially from those
anticipated in such statements. Except as required by securities
disclosure laws and regulations applicable to the Company, the
Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking
statements if the Company's expectations regarding future events,
performance, or results change.
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