Covercress

What Covercress does

CoverCress Inc. is a St. Louis-based agricultural biotechnology company that has developed a proprietary winter oilseed crop marketed as CoverCress, designed to be planted in mid-September to mid-October after corn or soybean harvest and harvested in late May, producing a third cash crop within a two-year corn-soybean rotation. The company serves Midwest row-crop farmers through its Farm Adoption Program, which provides no-cost trial seed (valued up to $2,500 or $25 per acre) in Year 1 and converts participants into contracted grain producers in Year 2. Grain is crushed into oil for renewable biofuels and supplied whole-grain to animal feed pellet manufacturers.

The technology stack consists of proprietary CoverCress seed varieties bred for Midwest winter hardiness and oilseed yield, supported by research collaborations with the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, University of Illinois, and Western Illinois University. Deployment options include traditional broadcast seeding with tillage and drone-based seeding into standing crops at early maturity, and harvest uses standard corn/soybean combines adjusted to canola settings. The company has stated yields of 1,250–1,500 lbs/acre under proper conditions and farmer earnings potential exceeding $170/acre in Year 2.

CoverCress monetizes through grain offtake agreements secured with end-use customers and channeled via a multi-tier partner ecosystem: CCI-authorized agents recruit and support farmers, dedicated grain handlers collect, condition, and store the harvest, and end customers process the grain into biofuels and feed. The company has raised approximately $47.9 million across six funding rounds between 2015 and 2022 from investors including Bunge Ventures, Leaps by Bayer, Chevron, Prelude Ventures, Prolog Ventures, Fulcrum Global Capital, and BioGenerator, with a commercial deal with Bunge signed in April 2022 marking entry into commercial-scale operations. Headcount is 11–50 employees, and the company is led by CEO Jim Hedges following the March 2025 retirement of Mike DeCamp.

Name

Covercress

Legal name

CoverCress Inc.

Website

https://covercress.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CoverCress is a St. Louis-based agricultural biotechnology company that develops a proprietary winter oilseed crop grown between corn and soybean rotations, serving Midwest farmers with grain off-take into renewable biofuels and animal feed through partnerships with Bunge, Bayer, and Chevron.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Biotechnology

NAICS

Oilseed (except Soybean) Farming (111120), Oilseed and Grain Combination Farming (111191)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Other Oilseed Farming (Flaxseed/Linseed, Safflower, Sesame, Mustard, Camelina, etc.) (AFAGABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cover Crop & Green Manure Seeds (AFABAFAH), Cover Crop Seed & Green Manure Inputs (AFABAKAH), Mixed Oilseed & Pulse Farming (Multi-crop rotations/combined operations) (AFAGABAJ)

Keywords

• Winter oilseed crops
• Renewable biofuel feedstock
• Cover crop seed
• Sustainable agriculture
• Animal feed grain

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. CoverCress Grain Sales: CoverCress generates revenue through the sale of CoverCress grain produced by farmers. The grain is crushed into oil for biofuels and used as an energy-dense ingredient in animal feed pellets. CCI secures contracts with end-use customers and purchases grain from farmers through offtake agreements.
2. Seed and Agronomic Services: During the first year of the Farm Adoption Program, seed is provided at no cost to farmers (value up to $2,500 or $25 per acre). Farmers enter into contractual agreements with CCI for grain production in subsequent years.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CoverCress Inc. develops and produces a proprietary winter-hardy oilseed crop (CoverCress) that grows between corn and soybean rotations and is harvested in late May. The harvested grain is sold to enterprise end-users for renewable biofuel oil crushing and as an energy-dense ingredient in animal feed pellets. Farmers grow the crop under multi-year contracts secured through a Farm Adoption Program that provides free seed, agronomic guidance, guaranteed offtake, and direct grain pickup.

Product overview

CoverCress Inc. (CCI) offers a single unified agricultural product: the CoverCress winter oilseed crop designed for renewable biofuels. This crop is brought to farmers through the Farm Adoption Program, which provides no-cost trial seed, agronomic training, and support services. The system is complemented by a partner ecosystem that handles grain logistics and offtake agreements with end-use customers in biofuels and animal feed markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CoverCress Winter Oilseed Crop
• Farm Adoption Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Potential earnings exceeding $170 per acre starting in Year 2
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• BungecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 April 2022CoverCress signed a commercial deal with Bunge in April 2022. Bunge is a major agribusiness company that processes and trades agricultural commodities. The partnership provides a reliable end market for CoverCress grain, with Bunge handling grain processing and distribution to end-use customers.
• BayercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBayer is referenced as a major industry partner in CoverCress's market ecosystem. The partnership contributes to the strong market support for CoverCress grain, providing farmers with a secure outlet for their harvest alongside Bunge and Chevron.
• ChevroncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChevron is referenced as a major industry partner providing market support for CoverCress grain. As an energy company, Chevron utilizes CoverCress oil for biofuel production, contributing to renewable energy efforts.
• Grain HandlersmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGrain handler partners collect grain directly from farmer fields, condition and store CoverCress grain, and deliver to end-use customers. They ensure reliable logistics and grain quality management throughout the supply chain.
• Western Illinois UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for research and development collaboration in agricultural innovation.
• Donald Danforth Plant Science CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership with leading plant science research institution for crop development and improvement.
• University of IllinoisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for agricultural research and development collaboration.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/covercress/jobs/?viewAsMember=true
• Xx.com/CoverCress

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors18 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Covercress