Welcome back, listeners! In today's episode, we'll dive into the latest strides in AgTech, featuring major funding rounds for precision farming AI and regional innovation hubs, breakthrough plant science innovations, and strategic partnerships expanding technology adoption globally. Let's get started!
Here’s a Quick Snapshot of What’s Making Headlines:
AgTech Highlights: New Funding, New Partnership & More!
Plant Science Updates: New Initiative, Innovation & More!
AgriBusiness & CEA Updates: New Initiatives & More!
Other Updates: New Initiative, New Program & More!
Welcome to another episode of AgTech Digest, your go-to source for the latest in agricultural technology. In today's episode, we're diving into the latest developments shaping the future of agriculture. We'll explore precision farming AI advancements and acquisition expansions, examine significant funding rounds for regional innovation hubs and investment programs, and look at strategic partnerships expanding technology adoption globally. We'll also cover biostimulant certifications and clubroot immunity breakthroughs and vertical farming initiatives in correctional facilities. There's a lot to cover, so let's get started.
Anna:
Orchard Robotics secured twenty-two million dollars in Series A funding, bringing its total raised to over twenty-five million dollars, with the round led by Quiet Capital and Shine Capital, with participation from General Catalyst and Contrary, as the company develops AI-powered tools for precision crop management currently used in apple and grape farms with expansion planned for other crops including blueberries, cherries, and almonds, and the new funding will support team expansion and the opening of a new office in San Francisco as Orchard Robotics aims to close the data gap in agriculture and advance AI-driven farming globally.
Anna:
Moving forward, CropX Technologies acquired Acclym formerly Agritask, marking its seventh strategic acquisition, with the acquisition expanding CropX's capabilities into enterprise-level agricultural intelligence as Acclym brings fifteen years of experience and technology deployed across millions of hectares, and its platform helps convert field-level data into actionable insights for sustainability and ESG goals, with the integration aimed at supporting global food and beverage companies in tracking ESG metrics, reducing supply chain risk, and promoting regenerative agriculture.
Anna:
Additionally, The Merced AgTech Alliance has received nine point two million dollars from California Jobs First, the largest state investment in agtech to date, with the initiative aiming to create over three thousand jobs, support more than one hundred startups, and offer two hundred fifty internships in California's Central Valley, including key projects such as the Merced College AgTech Innovation Center for workforce development, the UC Merced AgTech Barn for research and skills training, and Reservoir Farms for startup incubation, as the effort is a public-private partnership involving over forty industry organizations with the goal to position the Central Valley as a global center for agtech innovation and build economic resilience through modern food systems.
Anna:
Furthermore, Land O'Lakes launched AgRogue Growth Partners, a cooperative-led initiative to support agtech startups, with the program investing up to seven million dollars per partner in ten to fifteen companies focused on crop inputs, ag data, and supply chain innovation, aiming to accelerate technology adoption by leveraging trusted relationships between co-ops and farmers while Radicle Growth will manage the program and support selected startups globally. ◆ Moreover, UC ANR Innovate received fifteen point one million dollars from California Jobs First to create a statewide agricultural innovation network, with the initiative connecting nine food-producing regions to promote technology adoption and entrepreneurship, including a central hub, startup support programs, and workforce development in areas such as robotics, automation, drones, and data science, with the network aiming to support two hundred agtech startups, train one thousand five hundred individuals, and create over two thousand jobs over five years, with program implementation expected to begin in late two thousand twenty-five.
Anna:
Transitioning to partnerships, Zone Agtech and Farm Credit Canada have entered a three-year strategic partnership to advance agtech in Quebec, with the AgXis Acceleration Program helping Quebec-based producers and agri-food companies adopt new technologies and strengthen the local ecosystem, while the Go Global Quebec Scale-Up Program, co-developed with SVG Ventures THRIVE, will support international expansion for high-growth agtech companies, and SVG Ventures THRIVE will also establish a satellite office within Zone Agtech to boost global connectivity for Quebec firms.
Anna:
Simultaneously, NRGene Green announced field trial results showing complete immunity to clubroot in its canola donor lines, with two thousand twenty-five trials recording zero percent infection under high pathogen pressure, compared to seventy-four to eighty-five percent infection in current industry-resistant varieties, as the resistance trait was developed in Canada using AI-driven genomics and naturally occurring resistance genes without genetic modification, offering potential long-term value for the forty-three point seven billion dollar global canola market, with resistant lines and associated markers now available for global licensing to plant breeders.
Anna:
Additionally, Mainstay Calcium two point zero by Redox Bio-Nutrients has received the TFI Certified Biostimulant label, with the certification recognizing compliance with U.S. Biostimulant Industry Guidelines for efficacy, safety, and composition, intended to support product confidence among manufacturers, ag retailers, and growers while encouraging informed decision-making and supporting adoption of sustainable agriculture practices.
Anna:
Furthermore, Loveland Products has introduced Extract XC, a concentrated version of its existing Extract PBA product line, with the new formulation requiring half the application rate per acre compared to the original product, designed to improve residue breakdown and enhance the release of nitrogen and sulfur from crop residues, aiming to increase fertilizer efficiency and support yield potential while being applicable with fall burndown or liquid fertilizers, reducing field passes and promoting nutrient cycling for soil health.
Anna:
Moreover, SynTech Research Group and Stepan Company have formed a strategic partnership focused on Stepan's Advanced Formulation Services in North America, with the collaboration combining SynTech's expertise in regulation, lab testing, and field research with Stepan's formulation and scale-up capabilities, offering clients end-to-end development support for crop protection and biological products to streamline product development from concept to commercialization and support innovation in sustainable agriculture, with both companies planning to promote the expanded services through industry events and digital outreach.
Anna:
Transitioning to agribusiness updates, Bushel Plus has launched its O-Grate MAD Concaves in the United States, targeting improved harvest efficiency and reduced grain loss, as the company cites outdated concave systems as a contributor to yield loss, cracked kernels, and poor threshing performance, with the new system featuring O-shaped holes and staircase-style threshing bars for gentler grain separation and higher efficiency, while a modular design enables farmers to swap inserts for different crops in ten to fifteen minutes, minimizing downtime, and the concaves are compatible with major combine models from Case IH, John Deere, Fendt, and New Holland, with the technology supporting better throughput, crop quality, and profitability.
Anna:
Finally, AmplifiedAg is expanding its controlled environment agriculture initiatives into correctional facilities in South Carolina and California, with projects developed in partnership with Impact Justice and Skout Strategy aimed at improving food access and providing job training for incarcerated individuals, as the South Carolina Department of Corrections is preparing for the first vertical farm harvest within a U.S. prison, with an expected annual yield of forty-eight thousand pounds of leafy greens, while in California, vertical farm kits have been deployed at the Central California Women's Facility, allowing participants to assemble and operate the systems, with these initiatives aligning with AmplifiedAg's broader mission to integrate food security and workforce development in underserved communities.
Anna:
Looking ahead to upcoming industry events, mark your calendars for Global Vertical Farming Show two thousand twenty-five from September 10th to 11th, two thousand twenty-five in Dubai, UAE. Following that, SPACE will take place from September 16th to 18th, two thousand twenty-five in France. Then we have AgraME from October 6th to 7th, two thousand twenty-five in Dubai. Finally, don't miss Vertical Farming World Congress from October 7th to 9th, two thousand twenty-five in Amsterdam.
Anna:
That wraps up today's episode of AgTech Digest. We explored the latest developments in agricultural technology. From precision farming AI advancements and major funding rounds totaling over seventy million dollars to strategic partnerships expanding global reach and breakthrough plant science innovations, it's clear that the agtech sector is making strides in sustainability and innovation. With significant funding rounds supporting regional innovation hubs and impactful partnerships connecting technology providers with farmers and producers, the future of agriculture is shaping up to be smarter and more sustainable than ever before. Thanks for joining me, I'm Anna, signing off. Stay inspired and keep pushing the boundaries of what's possible!
