Seven years ago, agtech in Australia was still in its infancy. There were bold predictions, a flurry of startups, and an emerging ecosystem of programs and investors to back them. So how have things panned out?

In this live stage recording at the 2026 AgriFutures evokeAG event in Melbourne, Sarah Nolet is joined by Sam Duncan, founder of GXLab (formerly FarmLab and Ziltek) and Natalie Engel, a QLD-based cattle producer. Together, they reflect on the last seven years of the Aussie agtech ecosystem: the hype cycles, the pivots, and the very human realities behind building technology in agriculture.

Back in 2019 at the first evokeAG event, both Sam and Natalie pitched two very different ideas. Sam was an outsider to agriculture with a vision to use soil data and soil carbon to tackle climate change. While as a farmer, Natalie was reverse-pitching a problem: the frustrating reality of livestock traceability paperwork and the need for better digital tools.

Seven years later, neither could have predicted where their agtech journeys would end up.

Sarah, Sam, and Natalie discuss:

Useful Links:

For more information and resources, visit our website. 

The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.

While agrifood innovation often celebrates bold founders and breakthrough technologies, what happens when the incentives of corporates, startups and investors don’t quite align?

In this live recording from evokeAG in Melbourne, Sarah Nolet is joined by Brad Fruth, Director of Innovation at Beck's Hybrids, and Frank Wooten, CEO of ArkeaBio and co-founder of Vence (acquired by Merck Animal Health).

Together, they explore the “sweet spot” of agtech innovation, i.e. the balance between what customers and corporations want, while recognizing the constraints that innovators and investors face.

Brad shares how Beck’s Hybrids, the largest family-owned retail seed company in the US, approaches innovation: rather than having a corporate venture arm, they focus on being internal problem-solvers and trusted matchmakers between startups.

Meanwhile, Frank Wooten speaks candidly about the realities of raising venture capital in agriculture; where billion-dollar exits are rare, timelines are long, and alignment with customers matters more than valuation headlines.

Sarah, Brad, and Frank discuss:

Useful Links:

For more information and resources, visit our website. 

The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.

While farmer distrust of AI remains a key adoption barrier, will farm businesses that are being set up for an AI future have a competitive advantage?

Paul Windemuller is a pioneering first-generation farmer and Nuffield Scholar from Coopersville, Michigan (USA). Along with his wife Brittany, 

Paul built his farm from the ground up with limited capital, relying on ingenuity, automation, and data-driven decision-making to grow Dream Winds Dairy into a highly tech-enabled operation.

In this episode, Paul shares his unconventional journey into dairy farming from digging parlor pits by hand and retrofitting sheds on a shoestring budget, to becoming an early adopter of robotics, wearable sensors, and AI-enabled tools. Paul didn’t grow up on a farm, so technology became a way to compensate for what he calls a lack of “cow sense,” helping him make faster decisions around health, breeding, and herd performance.

As AI accelerates, Paul argues that adoption is less about buying another gadget and more about building the underlying foundations: connectivity, clean data, and a culture of curiosity within farming teams.

Sarah and Paul discuss:

• How a lack of traditional farming experience became a catalyst for data-driven innovation.
• Why AI should be viewed as a utility, like electricity, rather than a single technology purchase.
• The practical steps farmers can take today to become “AI ready.” 
• Why governance models that keep value with farmers and rural communities could determine whether AI delivers long-term benefits.
• Why farmer-owned data infrastructure and interoperability may be the next big innovation in agriculture.

Useful Links:

• Leading the Herd: AI, Insight, and the Next Agricultural Revolution, (Paul’s Nuffield report)
• Getting Into the weeds: the AI data dilemma
• Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work in Agriculture
• Yield maps killed agtech software, can AI fix it? (report)

For more information and resources, visit our website. 

The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.

While there is a growing recognition of the importance of indigenous knowledge in agriculture, all too-often, First Nations people are being asked to fit in with an established model. What if we flipped the script to create food systems that are led by indigenous principles?

That’s what Jacob Birch is aiming to do in reawakening a native grains industry in Australia. He’s a proud Gamilaraay man, scholar, Churchill Fellow, and entrepreneur who founded Yaamarra & Yarral, a wholesaler of ancient grains and retailer of stone milled flour.

In this episode, Jacob shares his journey into native grains, beginning with biodiversity and landscape restoration, and expanding into food, culture, and economic sovereignty. He explains why native grasses are keystone species for Australia’s ecosystems, how Indigenous Australians managed grain systems for tens of thousands of years, and why these histories, including bread-making, are still largely absent from mainstream narratives.

In his Churchill Fellowship, Jacob draws on lessons from First Nations communities in North America, exploring what Indigenous-led food systems can look like when the goal is not export-driven scale, but healthy communities, country, and self-determined economic development.

Sarah and Jacob discuss:

• The nutritional value of native grains and their role in climate resilience and food sovereignty.
• Why post–farm gate ownership is crucial for First Nations people.
• How subsidies could potentially support indigenous-led enterprises in food and agriculture.
• The realities of building a native grains industry; from land access to challenges in processing.

Useful Links:

• Jacob Birch, Churchill Fellowship report
• Grasslands Documentary 
• Jacob Birch researcher profile
• Modernising Indigenous Native Grains Processing | AgriFutures Australia
• White Earth Nation
• Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
• Native Farm Bill Coalition
• Tribal Elder Food Box - Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin
• First Nations Australians in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry - DAFF
• 2030 Roadmap - National Farmers' Federation

For more information and resources, visit our website. 

The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.

We’ve hit a tipping point for autonomy in agriculture, so how far off is fully autonomous farming? In this episode, Matthew Pryor sits down with Brett McMickell, Chief Technology Officer at Kubota North America, to unpack his view on what autonomy can deliver in agriculture and why it’s closer than many people think.

Brett’s career spans spacecraft control systems and multi-vehicle autonomy. Today at Kubota, he’s helping guide autonomy strategy inside one of the world’s largest and oldest agricultural equipment manufacturers. Brett’s focus is about ensuring the technology solves on the ground problems for farmers and is driven by customer demand, rather than by the tech itself.

Matthew and Brett discuss:

• What supervised autonomy will look like in 1 - 3 years.
• Why smart implements and sensing are just as important as autonomous power systems.
• Why AI in agriculture is still under-appreciated.
• What autonomy will look like in 10 years (without human intervention).
• How autonomy could completely change farm layouts, machine sizes, and operating metrics.
• How Kubota decides whether to build, partner with, or acquire new technology.

Useful Links:

• Kubota USA Innovation
• Kubota acquires Bloomfield Robotics, so what?
• Kubota to acquire automation company AgJunction - Future Farming
• Kubota Concept Tractor | Innovation | Kubota Global Site
• Kubota launches first autonomous hydrogen-fuelled tractor - Farmers Weekly
• How can agtech startups and corporates do more together?
• Seeing into the future of farm autonomy (w/ SwarmFarm Robotics)
• Have we hit a tipping point for autonomy in ag?

For more information and resources, visit our website. 

The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.

Today's episode is a tangible example of a company in the "natural capital" space. While not traditional agtech, the Hydrowood journey hits familiar themes: building a business within nature's constraints, managing capital intensity, and the frustrating search for the right investors.

Andrew Morgan watched the Pieman River in Tasmania dam in the 1970s. In 1986, Lake Pieman flooded, submerging centuries-old forests. Many years later, he and co-founder David Wise spotted trees protruding from the dark water- large quantities of native species like Huon Pine, Tasmanian Myrtle, and Sassafras.

The timber was salvageable, but they needed underwater logging technology that wouldn't disturb the lake's ecosystem. This led to the founding of Hydrowood. Today, the business has attracted millions in investment and high-end brand partnerships, but the journey has been far from easy.

In this episode, guest host Adam Taylor, Insights Lead at Tenacious, and Andrew Morgan discuss:

• Why the Hydrowood narrative captivates investors and media
• Trading off custom versus standard machinery to lower financial risk
• Pivoting to crowdfunding when traditional investment proved difficult
• The future of sustainable and ethical forestry

Andrew is also the Managing Director of SFM, an asset manager for large-scale plantation estates and carbon project developer.

Useful Links:

• The economics of valuing natural capital, with Ken Henry
• Hydrowood featured in first global flagship store by R.M Williams
• Australian Carbon Credit Unit Scheme | Clean Energy Regulator
• OnMarket crowd-sourced funding
• Forest Economics Congress, MONA

For more information and resources, visit our website. 

The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.

Over the past few years, the conversation about autonomy in agtech has moved from “but, does it work?” to “how can I get started?” This is a significant shift, indicative of autonomous machinery becoming a fully commercial category in agriculture.

In this episode, Matthew Pryor, Founding Partner at Tenacious Ventures, discusses his recent observations at the Gatton Agtech Showcase, in QLD, Australia, highlighting the move towards production-ready autonomous machinery. He discusses how structure is now emerging in the Australian agtech autonomy market, including in sales and distribution, with a mix of companies from established equipment dealers to venture backed scale-ups. He predicts growth in this market to only compound in the coming years.

Matthew and Sarah are joined by Shane Thomas, founder of Upstream Ag Insights, to also dive into recent agtech news and market trends.

They discuss:

• The role of traditional dealership networks in an autonomous future
• The potential misuse of the term ‘autonomous’
• Regional variations in market dynamics around autonomy between Australia, the US, and Canada
• The forces reshaping crop protection, including the rise of non-chemical solutions such as laser weeding and electric weed control

Useful Links:

• Carbon Robotics raises $20m to build ‘another AI robot’?, AgFunder News 
• Monarch Tractor sued over tractors that were 'unable to operate autonomously', TechCrunch
• Is Farmers’ Traditional Loyalty to Ag Equipment Colors Fading?, Farm Equipment
• The Four Forces reshaping the crop protection industry and what comes next, Upstream Ag Insights
• The Generics Revolution and the New Economic Geography of the Global Pesticide Industry, Journal of Agrarian Change
• The Race to Define the Future of Ag Retail with Shane Thomas of Upstream Ag Insights, Agtech So What?
• Getting into the Weeds: AI, Computer Vision, and the Future of Non-Chemical Weeding, Agtech So What?
• Investment Notes: Azaneo, Tenacious Ventures
• Disrupting the AgTech Ecosystem with Ron Adner, Agtech So What?
• Vavilovian Mimicry, Bionity

For more information and resources, visit our website. 

The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.

• [0007:25] The role of dealerships in an autonomous future
• [00:17:45] The forces reshaping crop protection
• [00:25:20] Weeds adapting to non-chemical crop solutions

In the race to decarbonize agriculture, the spotlight often falls on carbon sequestration, genetics, and alternative proteins. But have we overlooked something that’s right in front of us? Electricity.

Mike Casey is a self-described “tech bro turned farmer” from Cromwell, New Zealand. Mike runs what’s believed to be the world’s first fully electric farm, made up of 21 electric machines, from irrigation systems and frost-fighting fans, to electric tractors and forklifts. His business is aptly named Electric Cherries, where power is generated from renewable sources on-farm. Mike says this has enabled him to save tens of thousands on energy costs every year, while also developing a business model for farming that’s both profitable and low-carbon.

Sarah and Mike discuss:

• How an old diesel pump kicked off Mike’s electrification crusade
• The economics of going electric on a farm (and is it only possible in New Zealand or on a cherry farm?)
• What electric machinery changes (and doesn’t) about running a farm business 
• Why farmers stand to benefit from the shift away from centralized, fossil fuel power generation to decentralized renewable energy

Mike is also the CEO of Rewiring Aotearoa, a movement helping Kiwis switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy. His mission is simple: make electric technology an economic no-brainer for every farmer and household.

Useful Links:

• On-Farm Electrification isn't an equipment change, it's a systems change, Agtech So… What?
• Electric Cherries,  Evoke Ag presentation by Mike Casey
• Electric Farms Report, Rewiring Aotearoa
• The future of (decentralized) fertilizer, with Jupiter Ionics (Tenacious portfolio company)

For more information and resources, visit our website. 

The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.

What happens when an agtech startup with market pull, a clear mission, and global momentum still doesn’t make it?

Nikki Davey is the founder of Grown Not Flown, which helped thousands of local flower growers reach customers who wanted sustainable blooms. Nikki’s app directly addressed the problem of ‘flower miles’. In Australia and the US, a store bought bouquet is likely to be made up of flowers that have been flown long distances, from places such as South America, Asia, or Africa.

Nikki won the National AgriFutures Rural Women's Award in 2023 for Grown Not Flown, which helped to further establish the business. But, as the Grown Not Flown app was taken up across multiple countries, the challenge of scaling became harder for the startup and ultimately it was wound up. 

In this candid, episode Sarah and Nikki discuss:

·  Misconceptions about the hardest part of founding an agtech startup.

·  The realities of small founding teams,  finding investors, and scaling with limited resources.

·  The emotional toll of what happens when your identity is tied to your startup.

·  Why the end of a business does not mean the end of the mission

Useful Resources:

• Victorian rural tech entrepreneur Nikki Davey named the 2023 AgriFutures Rural Women's Award National Winner
• Are agtech startups just digital agribusinesses? Mark Kahn, Omnivore, Agtech So What?
• Sustainable Floristry Network

For more information and resources, visit our website. 

The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.

‘Bundling’ is a well-known business strategy, especially in tech, where it’s not only used to increase sales and move slow-selling products, but also to tie customers into an ecosystem (such as Apple or Microsoft).

So what about all the unbundling that’s been happening in agtech recently? While historically we’ve seen seed companies offer bundled options, such as seeds, crop management, and data products, there is now a trend towards ‘unbundling’ in agriculture. This is exemplified by Corteva’s recent decision to unbundle its seed and crop protection divisions into two publicly traded companies. Similarly, Farmers Business Network(FBN) has also spun off its global crop solutions business from its digital marketplace. 

In this episode, Sarah Nolet unpacks the bundling/unbundling dilemma in agtech with Shane Thomas, founder of Upstream Ag Insights and Matthew Pryor, Founding Partner at Tenacious Ventures. They discuss:

• The strategic impacts of unbundling for companies such as FBN and Corteva, as well as the broader impacts on farmers and markets.
• The market dynamics that encourage companies to bundle or unbundle.
• How Large Language Models (LLMs) are being used in agtech, including Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) and other AI frameworks.
• Shane Thomas’ new AskUpstream AI tool.
• Recent acquisitions in agtech, such as the Growers Edge acquisition of FarmTest

Useful Links:

• What Corteva’s Seed and Chemical Split Could Mean For Your Farm, Successful Farming 
• Growers Edge Acquires FarmTest, Growers Edge
• Farmers Business Network the latest to spin off company, following Corteva, Kraft Heinz, AgFunderNews
• DTN acquires Grain Discovery, DTN
• AlphaEarth, Google DeepMind
• Kraft Heinz to split a decade after merger in a bid to revive growth, The Guardian

For more information and resources, visit our website. 

The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.