Key Takeaways:
- Funding & Investments: Major capital raises in vertical farming, biochar, and crop protection.
- AI in Greenhouse Climate Control: Advanced AI systems optimizing temperature, energy use, and sustainability.
- CIBO Technologies Interview: Insights on scaling regenerative agriculture through modeling and remote sensing.
- New Partnerships: Collaborations in seed research, robotics, and precision agriculture.
- Emerging Innovations: AI-powered weeding, advanced irrigation, and electric agricultural spray aircraft.
- Other Industry News: Tariff impacts, IPO considerations, agrivoltaics growth, and sustainable fertilizers.
- Upcoming Events: Key conferences, expos, and networking opportunities in AgTech.
This Week’s Agriculture Technology Funding & Investments
80 Acres Farms Secures $115M to Expand Vertical Farming
- Use of Funds: Technology expansion, retail growth, and ingredient development.
- Investors: General Atlantic, Siemens Financial Services, Barclays Climate Ventures, and others.
- Strategic Moves: Acquisition of Plantae Biosciences (Israeli biotech firm) to enhance genetics for Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA).
IBI Ag Raises $6.1M Series A for Bio-Insecticides
- Lead Investor: Corteva Catalyst platform.
- Technology: Single-domain antibody-based insect control targeting high-value and row crops.
- Strategic Alignment: Supports Corteva’s shift towards biological crop protection solutions.
CarbonZero.Eco Raises $3.5M to Scale Biochar-Based Carbon Sequestration
- Investors: Google, Meta, Amazon executives, and startup leaders.
- Impact: Signed $7M in agreements with 300+ almond farms in California to sequester 1.5M tons of CO2.
- Operations: First biochar production site launching in April 2025, with carbon credit certification from Puro.earth.
Proba Secures €1M to Expand Carbon Insetting in Agri-Food Sector
- Lead Investors: Future Food Fund, Yield Lab Europe.
- Goal: Help agri-food companies monetize sustainability efforts through verified insetting certificates.
- Focus: Reducing emissions from nitrogen fertilizers, responsible for 5% of global GHG emissions.
Edacious Secures $8.1M to Enhance Nutrient Transparency
- Lead Investor: Patagonia’s Tin Shed Ventures.
- Innovation: A nutrient variability tool revealing 10x differences in food nutrition, challenging assumptions that all food types offer the same value.
📌 Read the Most Recent Funding News Here.
AI in Greenhouse Climate Control
Optimizing Greenhouse Conditions with AI
- Climate Control: AI fine-tunes temperature and humidity with minimal human input.
- Predictive Adjustments: Systems like Hoogendoorn’s IIVO leverage AI-driven intelligence for stability.
How AI Improves Resource Efficiency
- Energy Optimization: AI enhances CO₂ utilization, heating, and ventilation.
- Water & Nutrient Management: Automated adjustments reduce waste and increase yield.
Preventing Disease & Pest Outbreaks
- Condensation Prevention: AI models adjust climate to reduce fungal and bacterial risks.
- Real-Time Monitoring: Integration with Letsgrow.com for dynamic disease tracking.
📌 Read the Full Editorial on AI in Greenhouses Here.
This Week’s Interview: CIBO Technologies on Scaling Regenerative Agriculture
CIBO Technologies’ Mission
- Founded by Flagship Pioneering to scale regenerative agriculture through simulation, modeling, and remote sensing.
- Enables corporate sustainability programs without extensive farm-level data collection.
Challenges in Regenerative Agriculture
- Financial Barriers: Farmers need economic incentives to adopt sustainable practices.
- Slow Corporate Progress: Government and corporate funding must align to accelerate climate initiatives.
Technologies Driving Regenerative Agriculture
- Biological Inputs: Improving soil health and nitrogen efficiency.
- Automated Data Capture: Enabling real-time field insights from farm equipment.
📌 Read the Full CIBO Technologies Interview Here.
New AgTech Partnerships
Gates Agricultural Innovations & Corteva: Advancing Seed Technologies
- Goal: Improve crop resilience and productivity through gene editing and biotechnology.
- Focus Regions: Smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa & South Asia.
Topcon Agriculture & Bonsai Robotics: Advancing Ag Automation
- Technology Integration: Bonsai Robotics’ AI navigation with Topcon’s precision sensors & automation tools.
- Impact: Enhanced orchard and vineyard management, addressing labor shortages.
AGCO & SDF: Expanding Massey Ferguson’s Tractor Line
- Focus: Strengthening low to mid-horsepower (up to 85HP) tractors.
- Rollout Plan: Global distribution via AGCO’s network, beginning mid-2025.
New Products & Innovations
Pyka Pelican 2: Electric Agricultural Spray Aircraft
- Capacity: 300-liter payload, covering 90 hectares/hour.
- Technology: LIDAR & RADAR precision spraying.
- Status: FAA-approved for U.S. commercial use.
Netafim Hybrid Dripline System: Integrated Drip Irrigation
- Innovation: First-ever integral dripline with a built-in outlet.
- Efficiency Gains: Reduces manual labor and component costs.
BASF xarvio FIELD MANAGER: Digital Farming for Specialty Crops
- Launch Regions: France, Italy, Spain, Turkey.
- Features: AI-driven pest & disease risk predictions, automated field documentation.
Other Industry News
- BASF considering an IPO for its Agricultural Solutions division as part of a €2B cost-cutting plan.
- Windfall Bio’s methane-based fertilizer receives OMRI certification, allowing use in USDA-certified organic farming.
- Trump’s new tariffs impact U.S. farmers, raising input costs and shifting AgTech investments towards automation and robotics.
- AgPlenus discovers a new Mode of Action fungicide against Zymoseptoria tritici, a key wheat pathogen.
- EIT Food Accelerator Network announces 2025 partners, supporting AgriFoodTech startup innovation.
Upcoming Agriculture Technology Events
📅 2nd International Conference on CEA | Feb 25, 2025 | Plymouth, UK
📅 World Agri-Tech San Francisco 2025 | March 11-12, 2025 | San Francisco, USA
📅 Indoor Ag-Con | March 11-12, 2025 | Las Vegas, USA
📅 VIV Asia 2025 | March 12-14, 2025 | Bangkok, Thailand
📅 Reuters Transform Food & Agriculture Europe | May 2025
Read the entire edition here.
