Invest in Downland

Farming & ranching is about to change.

According to the UDSA, over 1,500,000 farms will change hands in the next 20 years — that's over 70% of them. 🤯 Those without an heir to carry on the operation have limited options for maintaining their land in agriculture, putting local food supply chains at risk and exacerbating food security challenges for communities.

As of January 1, 2024, the U.S. beef cattle herd was at its lowest level since 1951, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). 🐮 The total inventory of beef cows, milk cows, bulls, replacement heifers, other steers and heifers, and the calf crop for the year was 87.2 million head, which is 2% lower than the same time in 2023. The calf crop was also estimated at 33.6 million head, which is down 2% from 2023 and the smallest since 1948.

For the first time in 2023 and every year since, the US imported more food than it exported creating a $17 billion deficit, according to the USDA. 📉

Soil health is human health.

Remember the food chain? ♻️ Nutrients from the soil end up in our food and end up in us.

In the US alone, $44 billion is lost each year from soil erosion. Erosion from agricultural lands pollute waterways and contribute to climate change. Less nutrients in the soil mean less nutrients in our food. The food we eat today contains less protein, minerals and vitamins than 50 years ago, according to the Rodale Institute.

Regenerative agriculture improves soil health through ecologically-minded agronomic principles like cover cropping, rotational grazing and reduced tillage. Regenerative agriculture operations are 120% more profitable, require fewer inputs and are expected to generate $1.4 trillion in increased crop production by 2050.

Regenerative is the new organic.

Besides being good for health, regenerative markets are growing quickly. The regenerative market today is valued at $8.7 billion, a similar size to the organic market in 2000. 📈 Since 2000, the organic market has grown into a $65 billion industry. Demand for regenerative products is forecasted to grow at a 14% CAGR by 2030, nearly 2x the rate of organic.

Downland is a marketplace that matches landowners and the next generation of land stewards.

Aspiring farmers and ranchers utilize Downland's marketplace to access land that suited to their farming dreams, bolstered by community and with access to world class training and consulting. Residents who proceed to farm or ranch ownership receive assistance in establishing their entity and accessing markets for product. Downland earns income through recurring SaaS revenue and a revenue share model on ongoing farm revenues in cases where Downland places a resident. Trained farmers are matched with land for their operation, with an initial go-to-market focus on absentee landowners. Farm businesses receive access to blended capital through investments, loans and grants.

• 17 Landowner LOIs (and counting!)
• Over 200 ranching residency applicants
• $61,000 pre-sales
• Over 7,000 email subscribers

We're laser-focused on land and accelerate with world-class partners.

With lightweight succession planning tools, landowners can understand if Downland fits their long-term plan of keeping their land in agriculture, with their existing heirs or by identifying a successor through Downland's marketplace and residency pool. Our succession planning tools are designed in partnership with attorneys and landowner advocacy groups. We accelerate the training and operations with world-class partners and experts in the food industry supporting back office operations, grant access, debt financing and go-to-market delivery.

Land access for farmers is our key differentiator

Competitors like Zillow or Land Gate focus on real estate transactions, irrespective of creating options for more families to keep their land in agriculture. Succession planning tools like Trust & Will or Legal Zoom do not address the unique mix of assets that landowners, and especially farmers and ranchers, may be handling in their succession planning.

Downland's farmer-focus in land transition sees that there is another way for landowners that don't wish to sell out to commercial developers. Our extended network of strategic partners

Downland offers a tech solution for those with farm managers ready to step in, but for those without a manager or for those seeking land, Downland provides hands-on engagement in providing land access and launching sustainable operations.

Our scale will enable entry into adjacent industries.

Downland's long-term investment in its community of farms is our most powerful moat. As we scale, we are poised to enter adjacent industries that are enabled by food and land.

These opportunities support entering adjacent industries and unlocking additional revenue streams for partner farms. Examples include direct land acquisition, supply chain coordination, nature-based carbon solutions, insetting/offsetting, ecotourism and farming as an amenity to residential communities, resorts and city governments.

We remain relentlessly focused on land access, but excited for the long-term future of food.

We've got the best team in the field (pun intended).

Our extended team has 90 years of farming & ranching experience, and are sought after experts. They include startup founders and industry leaders. Our team are alumni of organizations like TechStars, Save Barton Creek Association, Texas Conservation Corps, City of Austin, and General Electric. They have been featured in TED Talks, Kiss the Ground and Common Ground documentaries, the Enviro Aware YLS Summit and other climate and industry events.

Our founder, Jessi Roesch (rhymes with "fresh") has over a decade of experience driving transformation at startups, unicorns and enterprise companies. Her credentials include:

• Terra.do Climate Fellow
• BCarbon Soil Health Committee Member
• Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Antler VC (selected from less than 3% of applicants)
• 3x startup executive
• Led prior company to #10 in Financial Services on the 2023 Inc. 5000 list
• General badass: CrossFit L2, 5th Place Olympic Weightlifting for the 2023 Texas State Championships (W35 59kg division), election volunteer, was once nearly robbed at knife point but stopped the crime in progress by sternly saying "NO".

Don't miss out. Invest today.