Podcast
AgTech Digest: Weekly Agriculture Technology News & Deals
AgTech Digest is a weekly ten-minute briefing on the deals, funding rounds, acquisitions, product launches and policy moves shaping agriculture technology. Every Friday: who raised, who bought whom, which inputs and machines cleared regulators, and what it means for growers, input companies and investors, drawn from the iGrowNews newsletter and database. Produced by iGrowNews. Narrated with an AI voice from a human-edited script.
- Episodes
- 131
- Releases
- Weekly
- Typical length
- 12 min
- On air since
- 2023
- Latest episode
- 4 days ago
Episodes
131 episodes, newest first
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11 min
A Tokyo seafood group bid C$804 million for High Liner Foods to secure its own North American shelf
Episode 129
Show notes
A Tokyo group that controls access to roughly 26% of the Bering Sea Alaska pollock resource just bought itself a route onto North American supermarket shelves — for about C$804 million in cash.
Umios agreed on October 26 to acquire Nova Scotia’s High Liner Foods at C$27.00 per share, an equity value of roughly C$804 million. Closing is expected in January 2027, subject to 75% shareholder approval, Canadian Competition Act approval and U.S. Hart-Scott-Rodino clearance, with High Liner staying headquartered in Nova Scotia as the core of Umios’ North American base.
Also this week: BloomX closed a $13 million Series A led by Elah Fund, taking total funding to $20 million for its Robee blueberry and Yahav 2400 avocado Pollination-as-a-Service systems; Salesforce agreed to buy 500,000 rice methane credits from Mitti Labs through 2030, following an earlier Google offtake; USDA’s FIELDS programme proposed about $116.9 million for Sedron’s $360 million manure-to-nitrogen project at Fair Oaks, Indiana and Twin Circle Dairy in Kansas, and about $139 million for Intrepid Potash near Carlsbad, New Mexico; What Rebates closed a revolving credit facility to support more than $18 million of grower lighting and HVAC projects; Arevo published 340-plot trials showing 4.3% wheat yield gains from Arginex-coated seed; Yara launched YaraAmplix PROCOTE OPTIMIZE and OPTITRAC in the U.S.; New Holland showed 360–440 hp T7 XD tractors near Woodstock, Ontario; Oishii targets 500-plus U.S. stores in 25 states; Planted Detroit’s vertical farm is up for sealed bids due November 16; and AgriBank named Matthew Basler CEO from February 22, 2027.
The paid edition, Tank Mix, compares crop protection activity from January 1 to October 17 across 2026 and 2025: records up from 123 to 173, the base widening from 14 to 19 countries, and headline funding of $930.4 million shrinking to $124.8 million once Tessenderlo Group’s FMC investment and duplicates are stripped out — a 14.2% rise on 78% more transactions.
In this episode:
(00:00) Cold Open
(00:35) The Impact Scorecard
(02:27) Corporate and Financial Shifts
(05:02) Innovation and Public Strategy
(07:47) Market Signals and Operations
(08:34) CloseConnect with Us!
Be sure to subscribe to our other shows:
Vertical Farming Podcast: https://vertical-farming-podcast.captivate.fm/listen
Greenhouse Success Stories: https://greenhouse-success-stories.captivate.fm/listenSubscribe to our Newsletters:
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/igrow-news/
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Podcast Production Support provided by https://fullcast.co
Discover the best podcast services in the world at The Podosphere: https://www.thepodosphere.com/Mentioned in this episode:
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
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11 min
USDA opened an $8 billion farm fuel relief program with no crop insurance requirement
Episode 128
Show notes
Four food-chain companies changed hands in seven days — and Washington put $8 billion on the table for farmers' fuel bills, with no crop insurance requirement attached.
The USDA's new Harvest Fuel Relief program will make one-time payments for the 2026 crop year covering part of growers' modeled fuel losses, with payment rates for Title I commodities due in November. Alongside it, the agency added crop insurance and tariff-rate quota measures to its Great American Cotton Plan.
Also this week: Lindsay Corporation agreed to buy Brazilian hose reel irrigation maker Setorial Irrigação on undisclosed terms; Mérieux NutriSciences closed its Certified Group purchase, adding 31 labs, about $300 million in revenue and 170-plus regulatory consultants to become North America's largest food testing provider, with Continental Grain Company and Peugeot Invest joining as minority shareholders; Betagro took majority control of Thai ingredient platform Freshket, which serves more than 20,000 foodservice operators; Swander Pace Capital sold SUMM! maker Fine Choice Foods of Richmond, British Columbia to Power Sustainable Lios; IMIO raised $12 million led by Sofinnova Partners with Chipotle's Cultivate Next participating; Ground Up Investing hit a $6 million first close on a $20 million second fund; Niqo Robotics launched the 46-foot, 14-camera RoboWeeder F50 with no software subscription; Kubota moved its Agtonomy pilot to autonomous operation on the M5L tractor; Cairnspring Mills opened its Blue Mountain Mill in Pendleton, Oregon with a $5 million equity stake from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation; and Syngenta sued BASF in Delaware over the newly registered Ridivex corn herbicide.
The paid edition, Narrow Rows, compares September 2026 with September 2025: records up from 199 to 227, but recorded agriculture funding halved from $2,802.2 million across 30 actions to $1,403.8 million across 12, with two entries carrying 97% of the capital.
In this episode:
(00:00) Cold Open
(00:33) The Impact Scorecard
(02:27) Corporate and Financial Shifts
(04:56) Innovation and Public Strategy
(07:24) Market Signals and Operations
(08:30) CloseConnect with Us!
Be sure to subscribe to our other shows:
Vertical Farming Podcast: https://vertical-farming-podcast.captivate.fm/listen
Greenhouse Success Stories: https://greenhouse-success-stories.captivate.fm/listenSubscribe to our Newsletters:
https://network.igrownews.com/Connect with us:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/igrow-news/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/igrownews🎙️🎙️🎙️
Podcast Production Support provided by https://fullcast.co
Discover the best podcast services in the world at The Podosphere: https://www.thepodosphere.com/Mentioned in this episode:
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
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11 min
Greeneye cut non-residual herbicide use 81% across 500,000 acres and is now opening in Kansas
Episode 127
Show notes
A decarbonization fund just bought the business of baling corn stover — and crop residue stopped being a by-product.
Boston-based Ara Partners acquired a majority interest in Pacific Ag, founded in 1998 in the Columbia River Basin and billed as North America's largest crop residue supply and logistics company, for an undisclosed price. Pacific Ag harvests, stores and delivers corn stover and wheat straw to dairies, animal protein producers and mushroom growers across more than 30 states — a thin, local market that now sits inside a waste-to-value investment thesis.
Also this week: CarbonFarm closed an oversubscribed $7.8 million Series A led by Colam Impact, with Proparco, Suma Capital, elea, Working Capital Fund, Albo and Bpifrance joining returning backers Serena and Techmind; Terminus Capital Partners took a majority growth stake in farm labor and compliance platform PickTrace; Switch Bioworks signed Bayer Crop Science on engineered nitrogen-fixing microbes already in USDA- and EPA-authorized U.S. field trials; Greeneye Technology opened North American headquarters in Salina, Kansas after spraying 500,000+ acres in 2026 with average non-residual herbicide savings of 81%; TTA-ISO bought the Demtec brand, IP and inventory out of bankruptcy; Koppert launched the Bacillus velezensis fungicide Macan in Brazil, registered for 13 disease targets; CLAAS opened a 44,800-square-foot R&D center in Omaha, Nebraska inside a $100 million North American plan; Signify reported Finnish cucumber growers saving roughly €5,000 per hectare by cutting far-red light; and the John Deere Foundation committed $18.5 million to link farmers with food banks.
The paid edition, Grain Elevator, tracks cereals and grains through 2 October 2026: records up from 53 to 127, the country base from 14 to 27, nine priced rounds averaging $9.2 million against three averaging $51.2 million a year earlier, and four dated signals to watch.
In this episode:
(00:00) Cold Open
(00:34) The Impact Scorecard
(02:46) Corporate and Financial Shifts
(05:10) Innovation and Public Strategy
(07:48) Market Signals and Operations
(08:42) CloseConnect with Us!
Be sure to subscribe to our other shows:
Vertical Farming Podcast: https://vertical-farming-podcast.captivate.fm/listen
Greenhouse Success Stories: https://greenhouse-success-stories.captivate.fm/listenSubscribe to our Newsletters:
https://network.igrownews.com/Connect with us:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/igrow-news/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/igrownews🎙️🎙️🎙️
Podcast Production Support provided by https://fullcast.co
Discover the best podcast services in the world at The Podosphere: https://www.thepodosphere.com/Mentioned in this episode:
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
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11 min
Twenty Italian biomethane plants will each process up to 100,000 tonnes of farm waste a year
Episode 126
Show notes
Farm waste just became a bankable asset class — and a robotic bee startup got funded by the orchards that will use it.
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners made the first investment from its Advanced Bioenergy Fund II, backing Via Verde's 20-project biomethane pipeline across Lombardy, Abruzzo and Campania in Italy, with each plant designed to process 60,000 to 100,000 tonnes of agricultural waste annually. Alongside it, two crop-input groups took full control of businesses: BRANDT bought all shares of Mexico's Agrícola Innovación, now “Altiara, A Brandt Company,” based in Pachuca; and BioFirst Group bought the remaining 14.71% of Brazil's Biotrop from Aqua Capital and Zempar, completing ahead of schedule a 2023 deal valued at BRL 2.8 billion (EUR 532 million).
Also this week: BloomX raised a $13 million Series A led by Elah Fund, with Rothschild, OurCrowd, Sadot and kibbutzim Magal, Horashim and Eyal backing its YAHAV2400 pollination platform; Darling Ingredients closed the sale of its CTH sausage casings business to Germany's SARIA Group to pay down debt; Antobot unveiled the U502 UV-C strawberry robot at Fruit Attraction in Madrid with commercial launch in 2027; Pairwise licensed its Fulcrum CRISPR platform to Belgium's Rainbow Crops ahead of the EU's 2028 genomic techniques route; Harvest Singularity broke ground on a $69 million greenhouse in Newberry, Florida, backed by a $5.6 million Florida Job Growth Grant; Napa wineries including Opus One and Dominus Estate pledged $2.5 million to red blotch virus research; Soilytix released its LOAM genomic AI models; iBOI, Acceleronix and Quectel launched an eSIM GPS cattle ear tag in Brazil enabling livestock credit; and the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer fell 12 points to 123, with a record 52% of producers naming input costs as their top concern.
This week's paid edition, Low Country, analyses 114 Dutch agriculture and agtech records from 1 January to 26 September 2026 against 104 a year earlier: recorded capital rose from $48.6 million to $170.3 million, though FrieslandCampina's whey protein program accounts for 60.8% of it. Subscribe to the premium edition for the full Trends Analysis and what to watch through 2027.
In this episode:
(00:00) Cold Open
(00:35) The Impact Scorecard
(02:29) Corporate and Financial Shifts
(05:03) Innovation and Public Strategy
(07:34) Market Signals and Operations
(08:43) CloseConnect with Us!
Be sure to subscribe to our other shows:
Vertical Farming Podcast: https://vertical-farming-podcast.captivate.fm/listen
Greenhouse Success Stories: https://greenhouse-success-stories.captivate.fm/listenSubscribe to our Newsletters:
https://network.igrownews.com/Connect with us:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/igrow-news/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/igrownews🎙️🎙️🎙️
Podcast Production Support provided by https://fullcast.co
Discover the best podcast services in the world at The Podosphere: https://www.thepodosphere.com/Mentioned in this episode:
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
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11 min
Corteva's seed business just spun out as Vylor with a $19 billion crop pipeline
Episode 125
Show notes
A $19 billion seed pipeline just walked out of Corteva and started trading on its own.
Corteva completed the spin-off of its seed and genetics business on October 1, and it now trades on the NYSE as Vylor, led by CEO Chuck Magro from Johnston, Iowa. The company values its corn, soybean and wheat pipeline at $19 billion, plans 12 platform launches over the next decade — including the Xpedite hybrid wheat system and the Vylor One licensing arm — and targets $11.2–11.9 billion in revenue by 2029.
Also this week: Hormel Foods agreed to buy Wisconsin chicken processor Brakebush for about $1.055 billion against roughly $1.2 billion in trailing net sales, adding five plants and two R&D labs; Tessenderlo Group paid about $403 million for roughly 20% of FMC Corporation at $13.30 a share, with a board nominee, a standstill and a three-year lock-up; AMVAC picked up US registrations for Syngenta's Caparol, Evik, Prime+ and Agri-Flex, worth more than $7 million in annual net sales; Bi-PA sold EMEA rights to its TEMAP biofungicide to Nichino Europe; Origin Agritech sold its 70.5% stake in Xinjiang Originbo Seed to Hunan Xindaxin for RMB 108 million, raising about $15.0 million; Edible Garden moved to buy its 6.2-acre Webster City, Iowa site for a 100 million-unit beverage line; ADAMA launched Actavan and Rexaro; DeLaval brought DeLaval Plus to the US; BiomEdit won USDA conditional licensure for CPerf LLV; and Corteva settled its 2023 Delaware suit against Inari.
This week's paid edition, Under Glass, breaks down greenhouse-sector activity in 2026 versus 2025 from the iGrowNews database: $249.7 million across 12 deals, ownership changes doubling to ten, 44 partnerships tracked, and the activity base widening from 16 countries to 23.
In this episode:
(00:00) Cold Open
(00:32) The Impact Scorecard
(02:30) Corporate and Financial Shifts
(05:02) Innovation and Public Strategy
(07:36) Market Signals and Operations
(08:52) CloseConnect with Us!
Be sure to subscribe to our other shows:
Vertical Farming Podcast: https://vertical-farming-podcast.captivate.fm/listen
Greenhouse Success Stories: https://greenhouse-success-stories.captivate.fm/listenSubscribe to our Newsletters:
https://network.igrownews.com/Connect with us:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/igrow-news/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/igrownews🎙️🎙️🎙️
Podcast Production Support provided by https://fullcast.co
Discover the best podcast services in the world at The Podosphere: https://www.thepodosphere.com/Mentioned in this episode:
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
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13 min
A nuclear developer priced at $2.4B on Nasdaq in a week when three firms sold divisions
Episode 124
Show notes
Three companies sold divisions, two merged into one, and the only capital moving at scale was debt — except for the reactor developer that walked onto Nasdaq at a $2.4 billion pre-money valuation.
newcleo, the lead-cooled fast reactor and MOX fuel developer, closed its SPAC combination with NewHold Investment Corp III, raising $247 million gross and pushing total funding past $1 billion. It landed in a week defined by subtraction: Titan International agreed to sell its ITM (Italtractor ITM) undercarriage business to Italy's USCO S.p.A. for roughly $285 million in total cash value — a $207 million initial price, up to $6 million of earnout tied to 2026 performance, about $23 million of net asset adjustments and $49 million in dividends — closing early January 2027.
Also this week: Standlee and Anderson Hay combined to form Standlee-Anderson in Kimberly, Idaho, terms undisclosed; Vanguard Renewables bought Generate Upcycle's five North American sites to create a 19-site food waste-to-RNG platform, adding roughly 565,000 tons of annual processing, with Pinta Energy taking the seven UK facilities; Anyang Indorama Gases lined up RMB 2.4 billion (about $358 million) from an OCBC-led consortium with Bank of China and China CITIC Bank to roughly double urea output to 2 million tonnes a year by 2029; Form Energy closed a $270 million Barclays-structured facility expandable to $1 billion; Rainmaker raised a $100 million Series B from NOA VC, Upfront Ventures, DCVC and Lowercarbon Capital; ADM moved to monetize over 800,000 tons of annual engineered CO2 removal via Puro.earth and Tallgrass; Georgia Power's Nuclear Uprate tariff deal with Google adds about 96 MW at Plants Hatch and Vogtle and is projected to return roughly $900 million to customers; and Kernel added 40,000 tons of modular grain storage as strikes cut Ukraine's export corridors to about 1.4 million tons a month.
The premium edition, Under Glass, takes the greenhouse sector apart year to date: 142 records through 22 September against 89 in 2025, deal count up by half with average deal size down 40%, equity and convertible rounds up 42% to $65.6 million, ownership changes doubled to 10, and activity spread from 16 countries to 23.
In this episode:
(00:00) Cold Open
(01:04) The Impact Scorecard
(02:53) Corporate and Financial Shifts
(06:10) Innovation and Public Strategy
(09:13) Market Signals and Operations
(10:35) CloseConnect with Us!
Be sure to subscribe to our other shows:
Vertical Farming Podcast: https://vertical-farming-podcast.captivate.fm/listen
Greenhouse Success Stories: https://greenhouse-success-stories.captivate.fm/listenSubscribe to our Newsletters:
https://network.igrownews.com/Connect with us:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/igrow-news/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/igrownews🎙️🎙️🎙️
Podcast Production Support provided by https://fullcast.co
Discover the best podcast services in the world at The Podosphere: https://www.thepodosphere.com/Mentioned in this episode:
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
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11 min
BASF hired four banks to float an ag unit with $11.1 billion in annual sales
Episode 123
Show notes
In one week, two of the largest names in crop inputs decided they are worth more in pieces.
Corteva's board approved distributing its seed operating segment into a new independent, publicly traded company called Vylor, ahead of an October 1 separation — with the seed platform already forecasting $500 million in North America wheat revenue by 2035, $1 billion by 2040, and roughly $500 million in incremental soybean revenue. Days later, BASF mandated Citi, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan to prepare a Frankfurt listing for its Agricultural Solutions unit, which posted €9.6 billion (about $11.1 billion) in 2025 sales and is roughly 80% carved into standalone legal entities, with a Capital Markets Day set for November 24, 2026 and IPO readiness targeted by mid-2027.
Also this week: IDEXX Laboratories agreed to buy CoVetAI for AI-native veterinary workflow tools; BFG Supply Co., a 54-year-old horticulture distributor, set an auction date for substantially all assets after its August Chapter 11 filing with 16 affiliates; Robigo closed a Series A led by Leaps by Bayer with Illumina Ventures, SVG Thrive, Congruent Ventures and Endeavor8; Nature's Miracle Holding agreed to divest its Visiontech grow-light subsidiary; Mazama Energy raised $135 million and Branch Energy $33 million; Crane Company bought Trillium Pumps US for $240 million and ZenaTech closed its 29th roll-up; Pivot Bio welcomed finalized 45Z Clean Fuel Production Tax Credit guidance for regeneratively grown corn; The More Life Company reported up to 32.5% potato yield gains in Brazil from licensed Agrarius technology; New Holland launched a retrofit GPS kit for tractors up to 35 years old; and Alveo Technologies partnered with Alliance Global on on-farm avian-influenza testing across Africa, Central Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean.
This week's paid edition, Cash Crop, covers Holtec Nuclear's IPO push at a roughly $10.2 billion valuation, Franklin Electric's up-to-$400 million purchase of Cat Pumps, Mitti Labs' Google-backed rice-methane carbon deal, and Agreena's record 4.45 million-tonne soil-carbon agreement across Kazakhstan.
In this episode:
(00:00) Cold Open
(00:59) The Impact Scorecard
(02:42) Corporate and Financial Shifts
(05:33) Innovation and Public Strategy
(08:09) Market Signals and Operations
(09:09) CloseConnect with Us!
Be sure to subscribe to our other shows:
Vertical Farming Podcast: https://vertical-farming-podcast.captivate.fm/listen
Greenhouse Success Stories: https://greenhouse-success-stories.captivate.fm/listenSubscribe to our Newsletters:
https://network.igrownews.com/Connect with us:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/igrow-news/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/igrownews🎙️🎙️🎙️
Podcast Production Support provided by https://fullcast.co
Discover the best podcast services in the world at The Podosphere: https://www.thepodosphere.com/Mentioned in this episode:
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
-
11 min
The largest farm carbon deal ever signed covers 4.45 million tonnes across Kazakhstan
Episode 122
Show notes
Agricultural carbon just stopped being a pilot project: two record offtakes landed in the same week, one of them 4.45 million tonnes.
Agreena signed a seven-year agreement to sell 4.45 million tonnes of CO2e soil-carbon credits to an unnamed global commodity trading house — the largest publicly disclosed agricultural carbon deal to date. The credits come from a targeted 1.6 million hectares in northern Kazakhstan's grain belt, Agreena's 21st market, where the move away from conventional tillage is expected to save farmers 40–60 litres of diesel per hectare. Days later, Mitti Labs committed up to 1 million rice-methane credits to Google by 2030, the largest rice-methane offtake on record, across three Indian states.
Also this week: Innventure opened Food and Agtech Fund II with ecosystem partners including Bayer Crop Science, Aapresid and Bolsa de Comercio de Rosario; Tellia raised $5 million in pre-seed led by Revent for voice data capture in the field, reporting 80% daily active use at Campos Brothers Farms and Duckhorn; Bayer and Neste finalized a commercial agreement to scale newgold winter canola across the U.S. Southern Great Plains; Corteva and Globachem formed a 50/50 crop-protection joint venture for Europe and the Americas; Amoeba secured exclusive European distribution with Syngenta for its Willaertia-based biofungicide from 2028; AMVAC launched Duro LQ and BioWorks launched BioRain Ax; KUHN debuted the 47-foot GMD 15030 mounted disc mower; Napa Green won a $3 million conservation grant with $2 million passed directly to growers; Flyttr broke ground in San Antonio on the first U.S. large-scale pest-biosecurity platform; and Purdue's Ag Economy Barometer rose to 135 in August.
This week's premium edition, Thin Harvest, narrows the ledger to agriculture alone: $670 million flowed into ag in August 2026, a debt-heavy month in which government money and loans outweighed venture rounds and the average check shrank sharply from July — deal by deal, with M&A and year-to-date context from the iGrow Intelligence database.
In this episode:
(00:00) Cold Open
(00:36) The Impact Scorecard
(02:14) Corporate and Financial Shifts
(04:34) Innovation and Public Strategy
(06:55) Market Signals and Operations
(09:08) Close
Connect with Us!
Be sure to subscribe to our other shows:
Vertical Farming Podcast: https://vertical-farming-podcast.captivate.fm/listen
Greenhouse Success Stories: https://greenhouse-success-stories.captivate.fm/listen
Subscribe to our Newsletters:
https://network.igrownews.com/
Connect with us:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/igrow-news/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/igrownews
🎙️🎙️🎙️
Podcast Production Support provided by https://fullcast.co
Discover the best podcast services in the world at The Podosphere: https://www.thepodosphere.com/
Mentioned in this episode:
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
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10 min
Seaweed feed cuts cattle methane by up to 77%, and Japanese investors just funded it
Episode 121
Show notes
A seaweed additive that cuts cattle methane by 49–77% just took its first venture cheque — in the same week a single Brazilian sugarcane mill changed hands for $148 million.
Adecoagro completed its acquisition of the Caarapó Mill from Raízen Group for approximately $148 million, folding it into the company's existing three-mill sugarcane-processing cluster in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The all-cash deal, first announced in July, is expected to be immediately accretive to adjusted EBITDA — and reads as a clear signal that scaled operators are buying capacity from portfolio-pruning majors.
Also this week: DN AGRAR signed a binding offer for Romania's Panorganic Vitavit at about €750,000 ($869K), a 14-hectare glass-greenhouse lettuce site in Arad County it plans to scale from 1.2 million to 2.0 million heads a year; Olam's ofi raised $100 million via a five-year private note; Corvus Robotics closed a $20 million Series A-2 led by Catalyst Investors with S2G Investments, Spero Ventures, F7 Ventures and Cibus; Sunshiki raised pre-seed funding led by SBI New Business Investment to commercialise an Asparagopsis feed additive; Bayer began commercialising Plenexos and the Preceon Smart Corn System toward a goal of 10 products with €500 million-plus peak sales each; AGCO's Fendt staged its first U.S. global tractor launch and CLAAS rolled out a new ARION/AXION lineup; Corteva spin-off Vylor projected $2 billion in incremental revenue by 2035 from a yield-stability corn trait; ADAMA launched Ravari in Latin America and Nofence debuted the N3 cattle collar; the USDA unveiled a Data Modernization Plan with NASA; AgriCapture and Google moved 6,000 acres of Trinity River Basin rice to water-saving irrigation; Chobani broke ground on a $1.2 billion dairy campus in Allentown, Pennsylvania; and the Center for Food Safety sued to overturn EPA approval of the PFAS pesticide trifludimoxazin.
This week's premium edition, Brand Aid, unpacks how America's indoor farms are pivoting away from produce toward CPG brands, cannabis and software — and what the 2022 boom collapse means for anyone underwriting controlled-environment agriculture today.
In this episode:
(00:00) Cold Open
(00:32) The Impact Scorecard
(02:50) Corporate and Financial Shifts
(04:53) Innovation and Public Strategy
(07:10) Market Signals and Operations
(08:23) CloseConnect with Us!
Be sure to subscribe to our other shows:
Vertical Farming Podcast: https://vertical-farming-podcast.captivate.fm/listen
Greenhouse Success Stories: https://greenhouse-success-stories.captivate.fm/listenSubscribe to our Newsletters:
https://network.igrownews.com/Connect with us:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/igrow-news/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/igrownews🎙️🎙️🎙️
Podcast Production Support provided by https://fullcast.co
Discover the best podcast services in the world at The Podosphere: https://www.thepodosphere.com/Mentioned in this episode:
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
-
12 min
The U.S. cattle herd is at its lowest level since 1951, and investors just put $27M behind the platform tracking what's left of it.
Episode 120
Show notes
The U.S. cattle herd is at its lowest level since 1951 — and investors just put $27 million behind the platform tracking what's left of it.
Consolidation defined the week. CropX Technologies acquired lab-analysis firm SCIO — its eighth acquisition since 2020 and its largest to date, terms undisclosed — while Indigo Agriculture spun its microbial crop-protection science out as a standalone company, ENAI. At the other end of the cycle, 54-year-old horticultural distributor BFG Supply filed for Chapter 11 with $342.5 million in debt and a $55 million DIP loan, targeting a going-concern sale by October 22 after cutting nearly a third of its workforce.
Also this week: Breedr raised a $27 million Series B led by Partech, with more than 2 million cattle listed and close to $500 million in livestock trading this year; Saudi Arabia's NADEC agreed to pay $22.7 million for a six-hectare Pure Harvest greenhouse in Haradh under Vision 2030; TerraBlaster closed a $12.5 million seed round led by Khosla Ventures for its Mars-derived soil-chemistry sensor; VitalFluid raised a $19.9 million Series A co-led by Invest-NL; Blue Radix took an undisclosed follow-on from Navus; AGCO unveiled new Fendt, Massey Ferguson and PTx equipment at the Farm Progress Show alongside lidar plans with GUSS Automation; Solinftec became the first ag-robotics company to sell parts via Amazon as its Solix fleet grew 15-fold to over 55,000 acres; USDA and HHS committed up to $95 million to the Harvest to Hallways initiative; Al Dahra activated a five-year, $500 million wheat framework with Egypt; Reservoir landed a $10 million R&D partnership with John Deere; Halter expanded virtual fencing onto BLM lands in New Mexico and Wyoming with nearly $3 million from the Foundation for America's Public Lands; and three nonprofits sued Driscoll's over its sustainability marketing.
The premium edition goes deeper: Big Ag Is Buying Its Way Into Biology maps crop protection's pivot from synthetic chemistry to biology — at least seven biological specialists absorbed into strategic hands, funding back above $500 million in 2026, the first new herbicide and fungicide modes of action in roughly 40 years, and the deleveraging of legacy portfolios at FMC and Bayer.
In this episode:
(00:00) Cold Open
(00:31) The Impact Scorecard
(03:21) Corporate and Financial Shifts
(04:47) Innovation and Public Strategy
(07:17) Market Signals and Operations
(09:40) Close
Connect with Us!
Be sure to subscribe to our other shows:
Vertical Farming Podcast: https://vertical-farming-podcast.captivate.fm/listen
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Mentioned in this episode:
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
-
10 min
Mérieux NutriSciences, GrubMarket, Ever After Foods, SalMar, Mafix, Computomics, Above Food Ingredients, FarmRaise
Episode 119
Show notes
A salmon farmer just got cleared to raise half a billion dollars in green bonds — collateralised, effectively, by 300,900 tons of fish.
Norway's Financial Supervisory Authority approved SalMar, based in Frøya, to list NOK 5 billion (roughly $531 million) in green bonds on the Oslo Stock Exchange, backed by record 2025 harvest volumes. It is one of the larger debt raises to hit the sector this year, and a signal that lenders are now comfortable underwriting aquaculture at scale.
Also this week: Mérieux NutriSciences agreed to acquire Certified Group, further consolidating global food-safety testing; GrubMarket made its first move outside North America by buying UK fresh-produce distributor JR Holland; Haifa-based Ever After Foods acquired Belgium's Fishway with a $2 million strategic investment and aimed its first commercial program at premium pet food rather than retail seafood; Mafix raised $5.4 million pre-seed for a CO2-removing silicon fertilizer, Computomics closed a €6.3 million Series B, and Above Food Ingredients took a $1.375 million strategic investment; Mosaic Biosciences launched Renuvis Enzara, showing stand-establishment gains up to 5.6% across 91 corn-on-corn trial locations and projected savings of $15 to $20 per acre; FarmRaise rolled out Passport across a dozen program partners including Blue Diamond Growers and the USDA Farm Service Agency; HabiTerre launched SYMFONI+, GoSun unveiled the Moonrider solar-electric tractor, and Agtonomy added autonomous maneuvering; Cirkla will build the first US molded-fiber meat-packaging plant in Hall County, Georgia — a roughly $5 million facility and 140 jobs; Völur signed an annual contract with Spanish pork processor Grupo Avinyó; and the Weed Science Society of America put the cost of an Illinois glyphosate ban at up to $609 million a year.
The paid edition this week is a Trends Analysis: Gene Editing Grew Up. The Genetics Land Grab Is On. — 33 database entries across crop genomics, science and seeds since mid-May, including Tropic's acquisition of Rahan Meristem and Corteva's spinoff of its seed-and-genetics arm as Vylor. The argument: the most valuable asset in agriculture right now is the gene, not the field.
In this episode:
(00:00) Cold Open
(00:57) The Impact Scorecard
(02:38) Corporate and Financial Shifts
(05:01) Innovation and Public Strategy
(07:13) Market Signals and Operations
(08:22) CloseConnect with Us!
Be sure to subscribe to our other shows:
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Discover the best podcast services in the world at The Podosphere: https://www.thepodosphere.com/Mentioned in this episode:
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
-
10 min
EW Group, Olmix, Ranchbot, Netafim, Varda Foundation, USDA, BASF Agricultural Solutions, Zoetis
Episode 118
Show notes
Citrus greening has wiped out 95% of Florida's citrus production — and this week the EPA registered an RNA-based, non-GMO therapy to fight back.
The week's lead deal came out of Europe: Germany's EW Group completed its acquisition of French natural-solutions maker Olmix from Amadeite and Motion Equity Partners on August 7, adding nine industrial sites and algae-, clay-mineral- and yeast-based biologicals sold across more than 100 countries. Olmix, founded in 1995 and based in Brehan, Brittany, now sits inside a life-sciences holding spanning 300-plus subsidiaries and more than 30,000 employees. Terms were not disclosed.
Also this week: Australian livestock-monitoring firm Ranchbot raised more than $15 million (A$22 million) in a Series B led by Lewis & Clark Partners and Fulcrum Global Capital, standing up a U.S. holding company in Fort Worth, Texas, on the back of roughly 10 million cattle and 15 million sheep monitored for 12,000-plus customers; USDA and DHS signed a New World screwworm memorandum targeting the smuggling of some 800,000 head of cattle a year, about $320 million in illicit trade, with drones and AI-assisted screening at ports of entry; Netafim launched GrowSphere FLEX for smallholders; Varda Foundation open-sourced its SoilHive soil-data platform; Zoetis won emergency-use authorization for Simparica Trio against screwworm; BASF Agricultural Solutions is building a climate research center at its Limburgerhof headquarters; Bongards' Creameries is spending $135 million to add 180 million pounds of process-cheese capacity in Bongards, Minnesota; atNorth and Selected Group will pipe data-center waste heat into a Danish commercial greenhouse; Maple Agro Farms signed an LOI on a 10,000-acre palm oil leasehold in Ghana; and ADAMA named Orly Pascal Chief Human Resources Officer.
This week's premium Trends Analysis edition — “Gene Editing Grew Up. The Genetics Land Grab Is On.” — argues crop genetics is now an asset class, citing Tropic's purchase of Rahan Meristem, Corteva's Vylor spin-off, a €300 million EIB loan to Limagrain, and licensing deals linking Bayer, RAGT, Limagrain and Pairwise.
In this episode:
(00:00) Cold Open
(00:28) The Impact Scorecard
(02:39) Corporate and Financial Shifts
(04:28) Innovation and Public Strategy
(07:08) Market Signals and Operations
(08:06) Close
Connect with Us!
Be sure to subscribe to our other shows:
Vertical Farming Podcast: https://vertical-farming-podcast.captivate.fm/listen
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Mentioned in this episode:
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
-
14 min
Corteva, AGCO, Nutrien, Bayer, Biome Makers, Inari Agriculture, FMC, Terion, Ginkgo Bioworks, Semios, CIBO Technologies, Indigo Ag
Episode 117
Show notes
📺 Watch on YouTube and Spotify
Welcome back, listeners! In today's episode, we dive into the latest developments in AgTech — the latest consolidation analysis revealing where M&A is reshaping the industry, Diane Holdorf on why nature-positive agriculture requires measurable farm-level data, Corteva and FMC posting strong earnings, Bayer and Ginkgo Bioworks partnering on next-generation biological crop protection, Terion launching its first commercial sustainability platform, Semios accelerating post-acquisition integration, and breakthrough advances in digital agriculture, electrification, and wheat genetics. Let's get started!
Here’s a Quick Snapshot of What’s Making Headlines:
• Analysis: The Consolidation Map: which segments of AgTech are in active consolidation, which are still fragmenting, and what Q2 and Q3 2026 M&A activity reveals about where institutional buyers see durable value
• Interview: Diane Holdorf of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development on the Nature-Positive Agriculture framework and what corporate sustainability commitments actually require at the farm level
• Earnings: Corteva posts a strong Q2 beat with seed and crop protection both outperforming; FMC raises full-year guidance; Syngenta Group confirms H1 seed growth offsetting crop protection softness; Mosaic announces CEO transition
• Partnerships: Bayer and Ginkgo Bioworks sign a precision fermentation partnership for next-generation biological crop protection; Bosch Rexroth secures a major electrification deal for agricultural machinery with a European OEM
• Data & AI: Terion — the Flagship Pioneering company — launches its first commercial data product, a sustainability verification platform connecting farm-level data to corporate supply chain commitments
• Integration: Semios publishes its first post-Pessl Instruments integration update — iMETOS weather data now flowing into Semios pest and disease models across 10 countries
• Funding: Aigen raises $28M Series B for solar-powered micro-robot weeding; Agrosphere raises $5M seed for satellite-driven insurance parametrics; Xarvio Field Manager reaches 50 million hectares under management
• Events: Commercial UAV Expo (Las Vegas, September 1st to 3rd), Taiwan Smart Agriweek (September 8th to 10th), Women in Agribusiness Global Summit (New Orleans), Global Agrovet Research Conference (Dubai), EIMA International (Bologna)Read The Full Summary On The Latest Issue Of IGROW NEWS
Connect with Us!
Be sure to subscribe to our other shows:
Vertical Farming Podcast: https://vertical-farming-podcast.captivate.fm/listen
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Mentioned in this episode:
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
-
14 min
Corteva, Nutrien, AGCO, AppHarvest, Benson Hill, Invaio Sciences, Semios, Pessl Instruments, Rothamsted Research
Episode 116
Show notes
📺 Watch on YouTube and Spotify
Welcome back, listeners! In today's episode, we dive into the latest strides in AgTech — the data ownership question and why farm data is becoming a power issue as AI gets embedded in agricultural decisions, Pieter Lommen of Delphy on why CEA projects fail before they buy their first climate computer, Bayer cutting full-year crop science guidance, Bowery Farming's IP auction concluding across three buyers, Loam Bio's first commercial soil carbon credit sale, and Land O'Lakes expanding its Microsoft AI precision farming collaboration to 100 million acres. Let's get started!
Here’s a Quick Snapshot of What’s Making Headlines:
• Analysis: The Data Ownership Question: who owns the data generated on a farm, why current contracts largely favour platforms over farmers, and why the answer is about to matter much more as AI gets embedded in agricultural decision-making
• Interview: Pieter Lommen of Delphy on practical CEA consulting — translating Dutch greenhouse science into commercially viable operations globally, crop-specific knowledge transfer, and why implementation matters more than technology
• Earnings: Bayer cuts FY crop science guidance citing US herbicide pricing pressure and glyphosate market dynamics; FMC reports better-than-expected Q2 on Latin America volume; Yara Q2 EBITDA up 14% on ammonia margins; Syngenta Group H1 revenues broadly stable
• M&A: BioAtlantis acquired by a strategic buyer — Irish seaweed bioactives company exits after 20-plus years; Bowery Farming IP auction concludes with hydroponic patents going to three separate buyers
• Launch: Protelum launches commercially — plant-based protein ingredient from lupin and faba bean targeting food reformulation; Loam Bio completes first commercial soil carbon credit sale under its CSIRO-validated methodology
• Partnerships: Syngenta and Indigo Ag's Terion sign a multi-year agronomic data sharing agreement; Land O'Lakes and Microsoft expand their AI precision farming collaboration to cover 100 million acres
• Funding: Naio Technologies raises 30M euros for vegetable crop weeding robotics; Persephone Biome raises $12M Series A for microbiome-based crop health; Tarfin raises $20M to expand agricultural credit access in Turkey
• Events: Commercial UAV Expo (Las Vegas), Taiwan Smart Agriweek, Women in Agribusiness Global Summit (New Orleans), Global Agrovet Research Conference (Dubai), EIMA International (Bologna)Read The Full Summary On The Latest Issue Of IGROW NEWS
Connect with Us!
Be sure to subscribe to our other shows:
Vertical Farming Podcast: https://vertical-farming-podcast.captivate.fm/listen
Greenhouse Success Stories: https://greenhouse-success-stories.captivate.fm/listen
iGrow Digest:
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/igrownews
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Mentioned in this episode:
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
-
14 min
Corteva, Nutrien, AGCO, AppHarvest, Benson Hill, Invaio Sciences, Semios, Pessl Instruments, Rothamsted Research, Bayer, FMC, Yara
Episode 114
Show notes
📺 Watch on YouTube and Spotify
Welcome back, listeners! In today's episode, we dive into the latest strides in AgTech — the data ownership question and why farm data is becoming a power issue as AI gets embedded in agricultural decisions, Pieter Lommen of Delphy on why CEA projects fail before they buy their first climate computer, Bayer cutting full-year crop science guidance, Bowery Farming's IP auction concluding across three buyers, Loam Bio's first commercial soil carbon credit sale, and Land O'Lakes expanding its Microsoft AI precision farming collaboration to 100 million acres. Let's get started!
Here’s a Quick Snapshot of What’s Making Headlines:
• Analysis: The Data Ownership Question: who owns the data generated on a farm, why current contracts largely favour platforms over farmers, and why the answer is about to matter much more as AI gets embedded in agricultural decision-making
• Interview: Pieter Lommen of Delphy on practical CEA consulting — translating Dutch greenhouse science into commercially viable operations globally, crop-specific knowledge transfer, and why implementation matters more than technology
• Earnings: Bayer cuts FY crop science guidance citing US herbicide pricing pressure and glyphosate market dynamics; FMC reports better-than-expected Q2 on Latin America volume; Yara Q2 EBITDA up 14% on ammonia margins; Syngenta Group H1 revenues broadly stable
• M&A: BioAtlantis acquired by a strategic buyer — Irish seaweed bioactives company exits after 20-plus years; Bowery Farming IP auction concludes with hydroponic patents going to three separate buyers
• Launch: Protelum launches commercially — plant-based protein ingredient from lupin and faba bean targeting food reformulation; Loam Bio completes first commercial soil carbon credit sale under its CSIRO-validated methodology
• Partnerships: Syngenta and Indigo Ag's Terion sign a multi-year agronomic data sharing agreement; Land O'Lakes and Microsoft expand their AI precision farming collaboration to cover 100 million acres
• Funding: Naio Technologies raises 30M euros for vegetable crop weeding robotics; Persephone Biome raises $12M Series A for microbiome-based crop health; Tarfin raises $20M to expand agricultural credit access in Turkey
• Events: Commercial UAV Expo (Las Vegas), Taiwan Smart Agriweek, Women in Agribusiness Global Summit (New Orleans), Global Agrovet Research Conference (Dubai), EIMA International (Bologna)Read The Full Summary On The Latest Issue Of IGROW NEWS
Connect with Us!
Be sure to subscribe to our other shows:
Vertical Farming Podcast: https://vertical-farming-podcast.captivate.fm/listen
Greenhouse Success Stories: https://greenhouse-success-stories.captivate.fm/listen
iGrow Digest:
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/igrownews
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Discover the best podcast services in the world at The Podosphere: https://www.thepodosphere.com/
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Mentioned in this episode:
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
-
25 min
CasClear, CRISPR, and AI in Soybean Genetics: New AgTech Frontiers - Interview with Matt Begemann Interview
Episode 115
Show notes
📺 Watch on YouTube and Spotify
Unlock the future of agtech and CRISPR with this deep dive into the world of soybean innovation and next-gen crop defense! Matt Begeman, a key voice from Confluence Genetics, unveils how his team is driving breakthroughs in seed genetics and leveraging cutting-edge technologies like CasClear. From transforming the profitability and sustainability landscape for growers to exploring the epic potential of CRISPR-based antimicrobials and cell-specific cancer therapies, this episode journeys across the science and strategy shaping global food and health systems.
Listen in to discover:
• The intricate challenges and opportunities facing modern soybean growers
• How AI and advanced breeding accelerate development of nutrient-rich, high-value crops
• The story behind CasClear and its powerful implications for agriculture—and even cancer treatment
• Why data, partnerships, and strategic tech licensing are changing the gameIf you’re passionate about the intersection of biology, technology, and agriculture, this episode is packed with thought-provoking insights you won’t want to miss!
5 Key Takeaways
Take your agricultural strategy to the next level with these essential insights:
• AI-driven breeding models like CropOS can significantly accelerate soybean variety development and optimize desired traits—embrace technology to boost your crop outcomes.
• Creating higher-value soybean products with specialty traits unlocks premium markets for growers—seek out partnerships to increase your profitability per acre.
• Gene editing and CRISPR-based innovations, such as CasClear, are expanding possibilities for crop protection and quality—stay informed and engaged with cutting-edge solutions.
• Gathering and leveraging high-quality, connected sequence and phenotype data is key to successful breeding and product innovation—invest in your data strategy.
• Strategic collaborations and technology licensing can help expand the reach of impactful platforms—consider partnerships to amplify innovation and business growth.Memorable Quotes
"So if we could take our CasClear technology, design it specifically for their cancer, deliver it to that individual, and basically deliver cell-specific chemotherapy where it only destroys the cancer cells and leaves all the normal cells intact. That's the conceptual idea we've built with CasClear in the oncology space."
"Our goal is to enable as many different companies to use this technology as we can because I can't work on soybeans, antimicrobials, and oncology all at the same time. We've really got to partner with other companies to make this successful."
"If you have decades worth of phenotype data but you've never sequenced your populations or understand your population structure, you're also kind of stuck. You've got to really pull both of these together to enable those AI tools to really drive your breeding organization forward and make better products at the end of the day."
Connect with Matt
Website: https://confluence.ag/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-begemann/
Resources Mentioned
confluence.ag – https://confluence.ag/
castclear.com – https://castclear.com/
University of Missouri – https://missouri.edu/
University of Wisconsin–Madison – https://wisc.edu/
University of Utah – https://utah.edu/
UC Berkeley – https://berkeley.edu/
Benson Hill – https://bensonhill.com/
CropOS by Benson Hill – https://bensonhill.com/cropos/
ChatGPT by OpenAI – https://openai.com/chatgpt
Anthropic – https://www.anthropic.com/
Connect with Us!
Be sure to subscribe to our other shows:
Vertical Farming Podcast: https://vertical-farming-podcast.captivate.fm/listen
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Mentioned in this episode:
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
-
12 min
Groupe Flore, Groupe Thomas Plants, Tecnosem, Kimitec, DVC Partners, Royal Berry, Dutch Berries, Rize, BNP Paribas Asset Management Alts,
Episode 113
Show notes
📺 Watch on YouTube and Spotify
Welcome back, listeners! In today's episode, we dive into the latest strides in AgTech — tariffs adding 8 to 23% to agricultural hardware costs and splitting the sector between those who localized early and those who didn't, a sharply divided earnings season with Corteva up and AGCO down 18%, three company exits including AppHarvest, Benson Hill, and Invaio Sciences each telling a different story, Semios acquiring Pessl Instruments for sensor hardware, and a 180-year Rothamsted dataset showing UK arable soil carbon declining despite organic matter additions. Let's get started!
Here’s a Quick Snapshot of What’s Making Headlines:
• Analysis: Tariff impact on AgTech hardware: steel, aluminum, and semiconductor duties adding 8 to 23% to equipment costs, supply chains rerouting, and an early mover advantage emerging for companies that localized manufacturing ahead of the current cycle
• Earnings: Corteva Q2 strong with seed and crop protection both up; AGCO Q2 weak on North American volume declines; Deere reaffirms full-year guidance; Nutrien raises its potash volume outlook for 2026
• Exits: AppHarvest assets sold to AppTech Group in a court-supervised process; Benson Hill formally begins wind-down after failing to find a buyer; Invaio Sciences closes operations
• M&A: Semios acquires Pessl Instruments, adding weather stations and soil sensors to its pest and disease monitoring platform; Trimble completes restructuring of its agriculture division into a standalone business unit
• Digital Ag: CBH Group launches its digital grain platform across Western Australia; WinField United launches an AI agronomic advisory tool for its network of independent retailers
• Sustainability: Yara and CF Industries sign a green ammonia offtake agreement; Nufarm and Corteva expand their omega-3 canola commercial partnership across Australia and Canada
• Resear: Rothamsted Research publishes 180-year dataset showing UK soil carbon declining in arable fields at 0.17% per year despite organic matter additions — a significant finding for net-zero commitments
• Events: Commercial UAV Expo (Las Vegas), Taiwan Smart Agriweek, Women in Agribusiness Global Summit (New Orleans), Global Agrovet Research Conference (Dubai), EIMA International (Bologna)Read The Full Summary On The Latest Issue Of IGROW NEWS
Connect with Us!
Be sure to subscribe to our other shows:
Vertical Farming Podcast: https://vertical-farming-podcast.captivate.fm/listen
Greenhouse Success Stories: https://greenhouse-success-stories.captivate.fm/listen
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/igrownews
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Discover the best podcast services in the world at The Podosphere: https://www.thepodosphere.com/
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Mentioned in this episode:
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
-
12 min
Bayer, Pivot Bio, John Deere, Nutrien, Ceres, AGCO, Trimble, Headwall Photonics, Agremo, Scoular
Episode 112
Show notes
📺 Watch on YouTube and Spotify
Welcome back, listeners! In today's episode, we dive into the latest strides in AgTech — the H1 2026 state of play with $1.27 billion across 89 deals, Europe's first new herbicide active ingredient in over 15 years from Bayer, Pivot Bio's PROVEN 40 clearing EPA registration, John Deere's See & Spray surpassing 1 million acres, a WFFS strawberry virus spreading through 28 US states with no cure available, and Nutrien and Ceres putting AI agronomic support into 2,000-plus retail locations. Let's get started!
Here’s a Quick Snapshot of What’s Making Headlines:
• Analysis: H1 2026 AgTech State of the Industry: $1.27B disclosed across 89 deals, robotics leads funding, partnerships dominate activity, Series A and B still squeezed, and a clear bifurcation between infrastructure plays and product companies
• Partnerships: Nutrien and Ceres partner to deploy AI-powered agronomic decision support to Nutrien's 2,000-plus retail locations; AGCO expands its Trimble precision ag licensing deal to cover additional machine lines
• Crop Protection: Bayer receives EU authorisation for LASO, its first new herbicide active ingredient in Europe in over 15 years; Pivot Bio's PROVEN 40 receives EPA registration — first biological nitrogen product cleared at 40 pounds per acre rate
• Precision Ag: John Deere See & Spray surpasses 1 million commercial acres treated; Headwall Photonics and Agremo integrate hyperspectral imaging with AI crop analytics for canopy-level nutrient and stress detection
• Grain & Supply: Scoular publishes its 2025 sustainability report covering 2.5 billion bushels handled; AGT Food and Ingredients expands pulse protein capacity in Saskatchewan; Viterra completes integration of Gavilon grain assets
• Plant Health: WFFS strawberry virus spreads to 12 additional US states — now present in 28 states with no curative treatment available; EPPO adds Potato Virus A to its A2 quarantine list
• Funding: Keenan Systems raises 12M euros to scale livestock feed management AI; BeeHero closes $10M Series B for precision pollination; Farmonaut raises $3M for satellite crop monitoring across emerging markets
• Events: Commercial UAV Expo (Las Vegas), Taiwan Smart Agriweek, Women in Agribusiness Global Summit (New Orleans), Global Agrovet Research Conference (Dubai), EIMA International (Bologna)Read The Full Summary On The Latest Issue Of IGROW NEWS
Connect with Us!
Be sure to subscribe to our other shows:
Vertical Farming Podcast: https://vertical-farming-podcast.captivate.fm/listen
Greenhouse Success Stories: https://greenhouse-success-stories.captivate.fm/listen
iGrow Digest:
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/igrownews
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Discover the best podcast services in the world at The Podosphere: https://www.thepodosphere.com/
===
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Mentioned in this episode:
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
-
13 min
Tropic, Rahan Meristem, Reservoir, Contain, Eurofins Agro Testing, Terraxy, Wa'ed Ventures, Africa Finance Corporation,
Episode 111
Show notes
📺 Watch on YouTube and Spotify
Welcome back, listeners! In today's episode, we dive into the latest strides in AgTech — Tropic acquires Rahan Meristem to become the first fully integrated banana genetics company, Reservoir makes its first ever acquisition to own the financial data layer, the US government links soil health to biofuel pricing for the first time, the Supreme Court rules on Roundup, a dual-function rice gene opens new doors for climate adaptation, and BASF, ADAMA, and Burro each launch major new products. Let's get started!
Here’s a Quick Snapshot of What’s Making Headlines:
• Big Story: Tropic acquires Rahan Meristem to become the first fully integrated banana genetics company — combining gene editing IP with commercial-scale tissue culture across Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East
• M&A: Reservoir makes its first-ever acquisition, absorbing agri-finance platform Contain and naming founder Nicola Kerslake as General Partner; Eurofins Agro Testing acquires Czech lab Laborator Postoloprty
• Funding: Terraxy raises $3M in a KAUST-backed Seed-2 round led by Wa'ed Ventures for desert soil regeneration in Saudi Arabia; Africa Finance Corporation arranges 108.3M euro sovereign facility for Togo's agricultural modernisation
• Products: BASF launches Efficon insecticide in Egypt with novel Axalion Active ingredient; ADAMA launches Novali herbicide at the highest pyroxasulfone load available; Burro unveils Grande 44 autonomous field platform
• Policy: President Trump signs Executive Order advancing precision agriculture; USDA releases Final Regenerative Feedstock Rule — the first federal mechanism linking on-farm soil practices to premium biofuel pricing
• Legal: US Supreme Court rules 7-2 for Monsanto in Monsanto v. Durnell — FIFRA preempts state failure-to-warn claims, effectively capping a decade of Roundup litigation exposure for Bayer
• Partnerships: Fischer Farms partners with Seed Group for UAE and MENA vertical farming entry; Syngenta, McDonald's, and McCain sign a three-party MOU on China's potato supply chain; Ever.Ag deploys AI planning at Coles Supermarkets
• Research: Chonnam National University identifies OsFeSOD3, a dual-function rice gene improving drought tolerance and chloroplast development simultaneouslyRead The Full Summary On The Latest Issue Of IGROW NEWS
Connect with Us!
Be sure to subscribe to our other shows:
Vertical Farming Podcast: https://vertical-farming-podcast.captivate.fm/listen
Greenhouse Success Stories: https://greenhouse-success-stories.captivate.fm/listen
iGrow Digest:
Presented by https://igrownews.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/igrownews
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Discover the best podcast services in the world at The Podosphere: https://www.thepodosphere.com/
===
This is an AI-Generated show
Mentioned in this episode:
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
-
13 min
Tropic, Rahan Meristem, Reservoir, Contain, BASF, ADAMA, Burro, Monsanto, Bayer, Syngenta, McDonald's, McCain, Ever.Ag, Coles Supermarkets, Eurofins Agro Testing, Terraxy
Episode 110
Show notes
📺 Watch on YouTube and Spotify
Welcome back, listeners! In today's episode, we dive into the latest strides in AgTech — Tropic acquires Rahan Meristem to become the first fully integrated banana genetics company, Reservoir makes its first ever acquisition to own the financial data layer, the US government links soil health to biofuel pricing for the first time, the Supreme Court rules on Roundup, a dual-function rice gene opens new doors for climate adaptation, and BASF, ADAMA, and Burro each launch major new products. Let's get started!
Here’s a Quick Snapshot of What’s Making Headlines:
• Big Story: Tropic acquires Rahan Meristem to become the first fully integrated banana genetics company — combining gene editing IP with commercial-scale tissue culture across Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East
• M&A: Reservoir makes its first-ever acquisition, absorbing agri-finance platform Contain and naming founder Nicola Kerslake as General Partner; Eurofins Agro Testing acquires Czech lab Laborator Postoloprty
• Funding: Terraxy raises $3M in a KAUST-backed Seed-2 round led by Wa'ed Ventures for desert soil regeneration in Saudi Arabia; Africa Finance Corporation arranges 108.3M euro sovereign facility for Togo's agricultural modernisation
• Products: BASF launches Efficon insecticide in Egypt with novel Axalion Active ingredient; ADAMA launches Novali herbicide at the highest pyroxasulfone load available; Burro unveils Grande 44 autonomous field platform
• Policy: President Trump signs Executive Order advancing precision agriculture; USDA releases Final Regenerative Feedstock Rule — the first federal mechanism linking on-farm soil practices to premium biofuel pricing
• Legal: US Supreme Court rules 7-2 for Monsanto in Monsanto v. Durnell — FIFRA preempts state failure-to-warn claims, effectively capping a decade of Roundup litigation exposure for Bayer
• Partnerships: Fischer Farms partners with Seed Group for UAE and MENA vertical farming entry; Syngenta, McDonald's, and McCain sign a three-party MOU on China's potato supply chain; Ever.Ag deploys AI planning at Coles Supermarkets
• Research: Chonnam National University identifies OsFeSOD3, a dual-function rice gene improving drought tolerance and chloroplast development simultaneouslyRead The Full Summary On The Latest Issue Of IGROW NEWS
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