Key Takeaways:
- Planet Labs, Farmdar, and Pivot Bio lead this week’s major partnerships advancing AI, satellite imagery, and microbial nitrogen delivery.
- Urban vertical farming models from ISI Farmer and scalable technologies from Artechno and Hort Americas underscore rising CEA innovation.
- Agribusiness investment activity remains strong, with Fotenix, Above Food, Wilbur-Ellis, and Antler Bio announcing funding rounds and acquisitions.
- Growcer, DENSO, and Miraterra pursue vertical integration and technological consolidation in controlled environments and soil health analytics.
- Global events and the iGrow Network Meet & Greets show increasing cross-border collaboration in addressing food system resilience.
Listen The Entire Episode Below
Good Morning Growers,
This week’s update highlights the convergence of AI, microbial inputs, satellite analytics, and coworking urban farms across the global AgTech landscape. From North America to the Middle East and Europe, the ecosystem continues to scale, diversify, and attract investment.
A warm welcome to our newest members of the iGrow Network—thank you for joining us. Join here to access future Meet & Greets, project opportunities, and exclusive community insights.
🌎 Global Meet & Greet: Local Challenges, Global Dialogue
The iGrow Network launched its first multi-continent Meet & Greet, drawing participants from the Americas and Asia-Pacific. Topics ranged from wildfire recovery using native plants to barriers in agtech adoption and licensing models for expanding local food systems. Discussions emphasized the need for education, policy reform, and cooperation across public-private sectors.
🚜 AgTech Highlights: Partnerships, Investments, and Precision Tools
- Planet Labs & Farmdar signed a six-figure agreement to enhance AI-based crop insights with high-resolution satellite imagery—beginning with sugarcane and scaling globally.
- Saga Robotics, Bitwise Agronomy & Chambers Farm collaborate on automated yield forecasting for soft fruits using the Thorvald robot and UV-C tech.
- Fotenix raised £2.1M to accelerate its AI-powered crop health diagnostics and digital twin platform.
- INNOFarms.AI & Skyfield AgriTech formed a strategic partnership targeting vertical farming systems across the GCC, starting in the UAE.
- Miraterra acquired Trace Genomics’ IP and soil biology assets, integrating DNA-based analytics with Raman spectroscopy at its Iowa facility.
🌱 Plant Science & Agribusiness: Strategic Shifts and Capital Influx
- Evogene divested Lavie Bio to ICL Group, including tech platforms and microbial libraries, as part of a portfolio focus shift.
- Wilbur-Ellis secured a $550M credit facility in a recapitalization move to support its long-term strategic growth in North America.
- Above Food plans to acquire Palm Global Technologies, signaling a move into blockchain-based asset tokenization and stablecoin issuance.
- Pivot Bio partnered with Aurora Cooperative to distribute PROVEN microbial nitrogen products across Nebraska and Kansas.
- Qore, a Cargill-HELM JV, launched bio-based chemical production (QIRA®) at its $300M Iowa facility, focusing on sustainable alternatives to fossil-derived materials.
🏢 CEA Innovation: Vertical Integration and Automation on the Rise
- Hort Americas & Hortiplan are expanding Mobile Gully Systems in North America, enabling scalable leafy green production.
- Growcer is acquiring the assets of Freight Farms for $2.6M, aiming to preserve support for existing growers and scale local food production.
- DENSO acquired Dutch seed breeder Axia Vegetable Seeds, aligning with its agtech ambitions to integrate AI and seed genetics for automated CEA systems.
🔬 Research & Performance: AVF+ Tomato Propagation
- Julia Erftemeijer presented findings from Artechno Growsystems’ AVF+ propagation system at TomatoTech Summit.
- Key takeaways: reduced input use (12–16%), modularity for different greenhouse formats, and improved consistency across germination and grafting stages.
- Read the complete interview here.
🧬 Other Developments: Waste Valorization, Bioconversion & Pollination Tech
- Windfall Bio initiated a field trial for its methane-reducing microbial biocover in California.
- MYGroup partnered with Beta Bugs to secure BSF egg supply for its UK-based Insectology™ waste treatment facility.
- GrubMarket unveiled a new Inventory Management AI Agent as part of its GrubAssist AI platform.
- Antler Bio raised $4.3M for EpiHerd, its gene-expression platform deployed across 100+ EU dairy farms.
- BeeHero expanded pollination services in Australia to 70,000 acres with enhanced pre-pollination reporting.
📆 Upcoming AgTech Events
- Commercial UAV Expo | Sep 2–4 | Las Vegas, USA
- Taiwan Smart Agriweek | Sep 3–5 | Taiwan
- Global Vertical Farming Show 2025 | Sep 10–11 | Dubai, UAE
- SPACE | Sep 16–18 | France
- AgraME | Oct 6–7 | Dubai
- Vertical Farming World Congress | Oct 7–9 | Amsterdam
🎙️ Prefer Audio?
Listen to this week’s roundup on the AgTech Digest Podcast, available on Spotify, Apple, and all major platforms.
🙌 Thank You to Our Directory Members
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SpectraGrow, LettUs Grow, Harvest Returns, Women in CEA, Harnois Greenhouses, Verde Compacto
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Sollum Technologies, Babylon Micro-Farms, Ounce of Hope Aquaponics, Grow-Tec, Microclimates
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