In this episode of the Brash Ag Podcast, Raymond King and Kit Franklin are joined by Simon Pearson — farmer’s son, ag-engineer, academic, commercial operator, and now MBE for services to agri-engineering after receiving a nomination by DEFRA.

Simon’s career cuts across every part of the ag-tech system:

From glasshouse engineering and patents at University of Reading

To global supply chains and technology leadership at Marks & Spencer

To building one of the UK’s most influential ag-robotics ecosystems at University of Lincoln and the Lincoln Institute for Agri-food Technology

We get into:

🚜 Why farming problems are engineering problems (and always have been)

🤖 What ag-robotics gets wrong when it ignores real farms

💸 Why UK ag-tech struggles to scale compared to the US — and how that could change

🌱 Translating research into companies like Saga Robotics and FruitCast

🧠 Why AI won’t replace farmers — but will change how decisions get made

If you care about ag-tech, robotics, AI, productivity, or the future of farming, this one’s essential listening.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify

#AgTech #AgriEngineering #Robotics #AIinAgriculture #Innovation #FarmingFuture #UKAgTech #ResearchToReality #BrashAg