Key Takeaways
- Eric Roth and Max Knight, co-founders of Rooted Robotics, are tackling labor and efficiency challenges for small and medium-sized farms through affordable automation.
- Rooted Robotics transitioned from being a vertical farm to a technology provider, recognizing the industry’s need for accessible automation.
- Their focus is on three core products—microgreens seeders, harvesters, and tray washers—to improve farm operations.
- Eric Roth emphasizes unit economics as the foundation for automation investments, ensuring farmers maximize profitability.
- Max Knight highlights the role of AI and robotics in future farm management, particularly in predictive analytics for yield planning.
Eric Roth’s Path from Vertical Farming to AgTech Innovation
On a recent episode of the Vertical Farming Podcast, Eric Roth and Max Knight, of Rooted Robotics, spoke with Harry Duran about their company’s evolution, the challenges of scaling automation, and their vision for the future of indoor farming.
From Grower to Automation Advocate
Before launching Rooted Robotics, Eric Roth worked as head grower at Kalera, a large-scale vertical farm. His time there revealed a crucial challenge: labor costs were a major barrier to profitability.
“Our biggest issue wasn’t growing or even selling—it was the labor needed for growing, packaging, and distribution. Retrofitting automation into an existing farm is costly. It’s essential to plan for automation from the beginning.” – Eric Roth
This experience led Roth to focus on developing practical, cost-effective automation solutions that don’t require multimillion-dollar investments—offering smaller farms access to the same efficiencies that large-scale operations benefit from.
How Rooted Robotics is Changing Farm Automation
A Shift in Business Strategy
Originally, Rooted Robotics was meant to be a vertical farm, but Max Knight and the team quickly saw a larger opportunity in selling automation technology. Today, they focus on three essential farm automation products:
- Microgreens Seeder – Ensures precise seed distribution for consistent growth and improved yield.
- Harvester – Automates cutting, reducing harvest times from minutes to seconds.
- Tray Washer – Simplifies cleaning processes, lowering labor costs and increasing efficiency.
These machines fill a major gap in the market by offering affordable, scalable automation for farms of all sizes.
“Many farms can’t afford large-scale automation. Our goal is to provide effective, modular solutions that scale with the farm.” – Max Knight
By keeping cost and accessibility in mind, Rooted Robotics is helping farms increase efficiency without heavy capital investments.
Eric Roth & Max Knight on Building Cost-Effective Automation
A Focus on ROI for Farmers
A key principle behind Rooted Robotics’ designs is return on investment (ROI). Their machines are meant to pay for themselves quickly, making automation viable for farms that may not have the capital for expensive, large-scale systems.
“If we can help farmers delay hiring new labor or reduce costs with automation, that’s a win.” – Eric Roth
“We want farmers to feel confident that when they buy our equipment, they’re actually saving money—not just adding another expense.” – Max Knight
One major benefit of their approach? Reliability and ease of repair. Unlike expensive automated systems that require technicians from overseas, Rooted Robotics ensures their machines are easy to fix with spare parts and instructional videos.
“Instead of buying one expensive machine, buy two or three of ours. If one fails, you still have backup.” – Eric Roth
The Role of AI, Robotics, and Data in the Future of AgTech
AI & Predictive Analytics for Farming
As automation becomes more integrated into farming, Max Knight is particularly interested in how AI and computer vision can be leveraged for crop prediction and demand planning.
“Farmers often don’t know how much they can sell until harvest. AI can help predict yields earlier, reducing waste and improving planning.” – Max Knight
By analyzing plant growth patterns and environmental data, Rooted Robotics aims to provide real-time insights that allow farmers to make smarter business decisions.
Making Automation More Accessible
Eric Roth points out that the lack of industry standards in automation makes scaling difficult.
“For automation to work at scale, we need standardization. The more farms adopt standard tray sizes and production methods, the more accessible automation becomes.” – Eric Roth
By designing plug-and-play solutions that integrate with existing farm setups, Rooted Robotics is helping smaller farms access the same efficiencies that large-scale vertical farms in Europe and Japan already rely on.
Scaling Rooted Robotics: What’s Next?
Expansion Through Partnerships
As Rooted Robotics continues to grow, Max Knight and Eric Roth are focused on expanding distribution channels by partnering with distributors, resellers, and industry networks to get their machines into more farms.
“Direct sales will always be part of our strategy, but we also want to partner with distributors who already have relationships with our target customers.” – Max Knight
Hiring for Growth
Their next hire? A sales and marketing expert with deep AgTech knowledge.
“This isn’t a typical sales role. We need someone who truly understands farming challenges and can speak the language of growers.” – Eric Roth
Eric Roth & Max Knight’s Advice for Indoor Farmers
As the conversation wrapped up, both Eric Roth and Max Knight shared their top lessons for indoor farmers:
Eric Roth: Focus on Unit Economics
“Know exactly what it costs to grow and package each product. Every expense—from seeds to labor—needs to be accounted for. If you don’t understand your unit economics, you can’t scale profitably.”
Max Knight: Start Small & Scale Smartly
“Too many farms go too big too fast. Start small, refine your process, and scale when you have proven profitability. Things get complicated after the first six months.”
A Call for More Collaboration in AgTech
Beyond automation, both co-founders emphasized the need for more transparency and collaboration in the AgTech industry.
“A rising tide lifts all ships. We need more industry-wide collaboration, more openness, and fewer companies working in silos.” – Max Knight
“Farm bankruptcies hurt the entire industry. We need to share best practices and build sustainable business models.” – Eric Roth
