Taylor Farms, CNH Industrial, Jones Food Company, BeeHero, FMC Corporation, Heritable Agriculture, Evogene, Ocado Group, ReFarm Global, Intelligent Growth Solutions, Bezos Earth Fund, Global Methane Hub, Harnois Greenhouses

Anna: 00:00

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 a wave of strategic moves and tech innovations redefining the Agtech landscape. We’ll explore major advancements in precision Ag and robotics, from autonomous weeding and fruit harvesting solutions to the global scaling of smart hive networks aimed at pollinator health. We’ll also spotlight how field-scale high tunnels are emerging as a climate-resilient, cost-effective option for specialty crop growers. In the indoor farming space, we examine the closure of a key vertical farm facility, the rise of a record-breaking climate-smart GigaFarm, and a new genetics initiative targeting high-yield strawberries for controlled environments. And finally, we’ll look into how AI-powered biology platforms are accelerating innovation in life sciences and Ag-based product development. There’s a lot to unpack—let’s get into it

Anna: 00:58

AgTech & Precision Ag is witnessing a dynamic surge in innovation, automation, and sustainability-driven initiatives, marking a transformative period for the sector. Kicking things off, Taylor Farms has acquired FarmWise, a company specializing in robotic weeding and thinning solutions for open-field vegetables. This strategic move is centered around the Vulcan platform, which leverages computer vision and AI to deliver precision weeding and thinning capabilities. The acquisition aligns with Taylor Farms’ broader goals of boosting labor efficiency and advancing sustainability through automation. Importantly, existing FarmWise customers will continue to be supported following the acquisition, ensuring continuity and trust. Moving on, CNH Industrial has acquired Advanced Farm Technologies with a clear focus on robotic harvesting for apples and strawberries. As part of this integration, key technical staff from Advanced Farm Technologies will join CNH’s innovation and engineering departments. This acquisition follows a successful 2024 pilot conducted in Washington, where the harvesting technology was tested under real-world orchard conditions. The primary objective is to combat persistent labor shortages while expanding automation in fruit harvesting operations. Meanwhile, BeeHero has launched its ambitious Global Million Hives Network with the goal of scaling from its current base of 300,000 smart hives to one million globally by 2030. BeeHero's technology stack includes in-hive and in-field IoT sensors powered by AI, which are designed for comprehensive pollination and colony health monitoring. The initiative targets regions facing high pollinator stress and those heavily dependent on agriculture. With a long-term vision in mind, BeeHero aims to stabilize pollinator populations and support sustainable agricultural practices through a robust, real-time data infrastructure.

Anna: 02:52

This week’s editorial spotlights a rising trend in climate-resilient infrastructure with a growing adoption of field-scale high tunnels in openfield farming, offering a cost-effective and sustainable solution for modern agriculture. One standout innovation is the TunnelPro Plus by Harnois Greenhouses, which features passive ventilation and polyethylene winter covers, designed to optimize crop performance and protection. These high tunnels deliver a range of benefits, including extended growing seasons from early spring through late fall, enhanced protection from wind, pests, and diseases, improved fruit quality and yields, and seamless compatibility with existing farm systems. The primary target users for this solution include soft fruit growers such as those cultivating strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, as well as vegetable and horticulture farmers, and fruit tree cultivators who are seeking to extend their growing seasons. Strategically, high tunnels serve as a middle ground between traditional open-field agriculture and more capital-intensive greenhouse farming, providing an affordable option during times of economic pressure. They offer lower acquisition costs, reduced operating expenses, and a rapid return on investment, making them a practical and scalable tool for growers looking to enhance productivity and resilience in an increasingly unpredictable climate.

Anna: 04:13

Controlled Environment Agriculture is undergoing significant transformation this week, marked by shifts in operations, groundbreaking infrastructure, and innovation in crop genetics. First, Jones Food Company has entered administration, resulting in the closure of its Lydney facility in April 2025 and 61 redundancies, with 11 staff retained for essential site support. RSM UK has been appointed as the administrator to manage ongoing operations and explore asset sales. Despite the closure, JFC continues to focus on JFC2, a 3.6-acre next-generation vertical farm producing eight herb and eleven salad varieties, with an overarching mission to deliver premium, sustainable food while addressing pressing climate and food security challenges. Ownership group Ocado confirmed the board’s decision and the administrator appointment. Meanwhile, ReFarm Global has announced the construction of the world’s first GigaFarm in Dubai in collaboration with Intelligent Growth Solutions. This massive 900,000-square-foot facility, located at Dubai Food Tech Valley, integrates six advanced agricultural technologies within a closed-loop, zero-waste system. Its impact is projected to be substantial, including the production of over three million kilograms of crops annually, diversion of more than fifty thousand tonnes of food waste from landfill, and an estimated one percent replacement of the UAE’s fresh produce imports. The project is supported by both the UK and UAE governments and is positioned as a model for climate-resilient agriculture. In another strategic development, Heritable Agriculture, CIV, and Paul J. Mastronardi have partnered to innovate in indoor strawberry breeding. The goal of this collaboration is to develop high-performance strawberry varieties optimized for indoor and tabletop systems. Their approach blends AIbased predictive modeling, elite germplasm, and commercial-scale expertise to enhance traits such as uniformity, taste, visual appeal, disease resistance, and yield. This initiative is a strategic fit for precision horticulture, with a strong focus on tailoring genetics to meet the specific demands of indoor production environments.

Anna: 06:23

This week’s interview spotlights the transformative role of AI computational biology platforms in life science product development, with a deep dive into the work of Evogene. Operating under the ticker EVGN, Evogene has developed three proprietary technology engines— MicroBoost AI, ChemPass AI, and GeneRator AI—that support product development across microbial, small molecule, and genomic-based applications. Unlike companies that simply adopt existing tools, Evogene applies AI as a core innovation platform, building its own custom algorithms in-house to drive discovery and development. The real-world impact of these technologies is demonstrated through the company’s subsidiaries, Lavie Bio and Casterra, which showcase practical applications of Evogene’s AI engines across various geographies and agricultural sectors. In a broader context, CEO Ofer Haviv advocates for a paradigm shift in public and regulatory attitudes toward GMOs and genome editing, emphasizing their potential as sustainable and scalable technologies for the future. Looking ahead, Evogene is placing a strategic focus on the pharmaceutical industry, with the ChemPass AI engine leading the charge toward establishing the company’s own drug development pipeline by 2030.

Anna: 07:41

In other news shaking up the agtech and livestock innovation space, several developments are making headlines across seed treatment, cattle analytics, pest control, and methane reduction. Zayndu has launched SPrime, its first crop-specific protocol package, developed specifically for spinach. This new release is part of the company’s larger strategy to roll out pre-optimized seed treatments tailored to individual crops and diverse growing environments. Meanwhile, AgBoost, a data analytics provider for cattle producers, has announced the successful close of a $500,000 investment round. In addition, the company has entered into a licensing agreement with MedIrAlis, an Australian animal health firm, aiming to scale its solutions globally. On the pest management front, FMC Corporation, trading under FMC, has announced the registration of SoferoFall in Brazil. This marks the debut product under its Sofero pheromone solutions platform and is designed to combat fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) using a mating disruption strategy. Finally, a major livestock breeding initiative has been announced to tackle methane emissions in cattle and sheep herds worldwide. The effort is supported by a combined $27.4 million in funding, with $19.3 million from the Bezos Earth Fund and $8.1 million from the Global Methane Hub, aiming to accelerate research that could significantly reduce livestock-related greenhouse gas emissions on a global scale.

Anna: 09:14

Looking ahead to upcoming industry events, mark your calendars for the 2-Day Plant Empowerment Workshop taking place May 6th to 7th, 2025, in the UK, followed by the 2nd International Electronic Conference on Entomology scheduled for May 19th to 21st, Later in the year, Reuters Events: Transform Food & Agriculture Europe 2025, will gather key industry players, while the Commercial UAV Expo is set for September 2nd to 4th, in Las Vegas, USA. The Taiwan Smart Agriweek will run from September 3rd to 5th, in Taiwan, and the Global Vertical Farming Show 2025 will be held September 10th to 11th, in Dubai, UAE. Wrapping up the list, SPACE will take place from September 16th to 18th, 2025, in France.

Anna: 10:03

That wraps up today's episode of Agtech Digest. We explored the latest developments in agricultural technology. From precision ag robotics and smart pollination systems to field-scale high tunnels and vertical farming breakthroughs, it’s clear that the agtech sector continues to evolve with innovation at its core. Strategic acquisitions by Taylor Farms and CNH, the global expansion of BeeHero’s smart hive network, and infrastructure advancements like ReFarm Global’s GigaFarm in Dubai highlight how automation and sustainability are becoming the backbone of modern agriculture. Meanwhile, solutions like TunnelPro Plus are bridging the gap between open-field and greenhouse farming, and indoor breeding collaborations are redefining crop development for controlled environments. Additionally, Evogene’s proprietary AI engines are revolutionizing product development across life sciences and agriculture, underscoring the transformative role of computational biology. With technologies becoming more integrated and AI taking center stage, the future of agriculture is looking smarter, more efficient, and increasingly resilient. Thanks for joining me, I'm Anna, signing off. Stay inspired and keep pushing the boundaries of what's possible!