Brash Ag

Are we seeing a quiet shift in the world order of farm machinery? Can EV tractors provide a foot hold for Chinese tractor makers or will the sheer volume of the domestic Indian tractor prove the real game changer for Tafe?

This week Kit continues grilling Ray about his recent trip to Agritechnica. We hear from:

Tom Carnell from Regenovation on their innovative pump technology capable of delivering a range of liquids to the soil to support a more regenerative way of farming.

Sudarsan R and Sriraman S on growth of Tafe on the global stage and how the 4 E’s philosophy is helping them to ensure their products hit the mark for western markets

Yongjun Chen on their pioneering twin motor technology allowing their EV tractors to deliver horse power to the drive train and PTO seamlessly.

Will Chinese manufacturers steal a march on the big tractor makers? Are all agricultural robots just marketing fluff? Can the Germans run a train timetable as well as the British?

This week Kit grills Ray on his recent trip to Hannover and the world's largest Agricultural Machinery event. We hear from:

Juha Heikkila from Agco Power with their innovative new battery technology for tractors. Are they leading the field or hedging their bets?

Fabio Isaia from Field Bee could this be another “balespikeology” product and how can vision systems be included in retrofit technology.

Micheal Weis from AI.Land on how AI and disembodied robot arms allow fields to become food stores?

The pair also discuss the new Agxeed robot, is bigger really better when it comes to ag autonomy and should more implements be “autonomy ready” like the flail toppers from Müthing.

FIRA USA 2025; The robots have taken over FIRA — but where are the farmers?

This week we hear part two of Kit's tour of FIRA USA in California and catch up with some of the hottest new developments in agritech. We hear from:

Taylor Wetil of Soflintec on their solar powered, autonomous spot spraying robot, that promises to use automated refilling equipment to keep spraying without human input.

Gary Thompson of Guss Automation and their dedicated spraying robot for orchard applications, an early player in the farm automation start-up scene with a good news story courtesy of John Deere.

Chris Laudando of L&aser and Laudando and Associates and his thoughts on opening up his laser weeding tech to smaller manufacturers as part of his ongoing legal tussle with Carbon robotics.

Xiong Chang of Tensorfield and their bleeding weeding technology, utilising high temperature oil to kill and control weeds without applying chemicals.

Professor Simon Pearson of Lincoln Institute of Agri-Food Technology and Lincoln University and his thoughts about the FIRA event and the enviable funding opportunities of Silicon Valley based agritech companies.

Ray and Kit also ask, where are the farmers? Is FIRA more for technologists, geeks and engineers or is there a place for farmers to learn and maybe even invest in new machinery.

FIRA USA 2025; What does the future of agtech look like through the eyes of Silicon Valley tech nerds, venture capitalists and Californian farmers?

Our man in the US, Kit, headed West for FIRA USA in California to check out the latest developments in agricultural robotics. We hear from;

Andrew Stein from John Deere regarding their latest autonomous tractor intended in supporting the orchard spraying sector for US farmers.

James Szabo from Hexagon on their GNSS solutions for autonomous and traditional agricultural machinery, thoughts on the integration of their technology into Tier 1 manufacturers.

Lee Baldinger from Agtonomy on integrating their technology directly into Kubota and Bobcat tractors, unlocking autonomy for more traditional agricultural machinery in a robots as a service model.

Kenny Lee from Aigen Robotics on their AI powered, swarms of “mars rover for earth” looking to weed crops such as cotton, sugar beat and tomatoes.

Alongside this, Ray and Kit discuss why engineers might not be free to speak their minds. Is it the pressure of VC funding or CEO egos at play? Listen in to find out.

#data #bigdata #AIbubble #AI #agritech #agtech #Namaste #farming #farming4.0 #agriculture #agriculutralengineering #automation #robotics #technology #ArtificialIntelligence #FIRA #FIRA2025

Is AI set to take over farming as we know it? Will human farmers be replaced?

The IAgrE Landwards conference recently brought together engineers, business leaders and technical specialists to hear how they see the future of farming being shaped and moulded by AI. Ray and Kit catch up to discuss the conference, what they learned and their own thoughts about whether AI will revolutionise agriculture. With representatives from Harper Adams, Garford Farm Machinery, CLAAS, DeLaval, University of Lincoln, Farmers Guardian and Agco, this is an episode packed full of insights and thought provoking questions.

#data #bigdata #AIbubble #AI #agritech #agtech #Namaste #farming #farming4.0 #agriculture #agriculutralengineering #automation #robotics #technology #ArtificialIntelligence

When you think of cutting-edge agricultural robotics, Mississippi might not be the first place that comes to mind — but Professor Alex Thomasson is changing that.

As Head of Ag & Biosystems Engineering at Mississippi State University and Director of the Agricultural Autonomy Institute, Alex has built one of the most ambitious autonomy programs in the U.S. — blending drones, cotton harvesters, and robotic field systems into a living testbed for the future of farming.

In this episode, Kit and Ray talk with Alex about how a city kid from Houston found his calling under a tractor, why the U.S. is racing ahead on spray drones, and what “Autonomous Acres” could mean for the next generation of farm innovators.

#precisionag #drones #agtech #agritech #agriculturalengineering #robotics #automation #autonomy #Namaste #Farming #Farmer

Clive Blacker started, built and sold his agtech company right here in the UK. Listen to find out how he did it…

With a Nuffiled Scholarship as a launch pad and his technical experience from his early days keeping alive an old French sugar beet harvester. Clive took on trials and support for Yara and the N-Sensor. From there Clive was able to deliver next level decision making to farmers at a time when big data wasn’t such a big idea and decision making on farm was a mixture of gambling and gut instinct.

With such a forward thinking outlook it wasn’t too long before a role at UK government beckoned, advising the Department of Trade on all things Precision Agriculture and how to support farming and farmers.

Since selling his business, Precision Decisions to Map of Ag Clive has started Agrovation to continue to help farmers with their journey through precision agriculture and to develop new technology working on a number of IUK projects. He is also a key part of the Aganalyst Team supporting them as an agronomy and precision ag specialist.

As a trustee of the Douglas Bomford Trust, Clive has been able to help the next generation while gaining a front seat of the latest developments in agtech.

Ray and Kit really enjoyed recording this episode so check it out…

#precisionag #drones #agtech #agritech #agriculturalengineering #departmentoftrade #Nuffield #scholarship #robotics #automation #autonomy #soilscience #Namaste #Farming #Farmer

This week the co-hosts question the nature of reality itself and explain how the virtual world could help farmers to solve real world problems.

Ray talks about his first experiences with virtual reality as a child at a local fun fair in the 1990’s and Kit explains how virtual reality has been pitched to educational institutions such as Harper Adams as a tool to educate and train the engineers and technicians of the future, as well as how his Hands Free Hectare partner in crime, Jonthan Gill, has been pioneering VR tech to help share crop trial results remotely and distribute learning across the world.

The pair also delve into the emerging world of augmented reality and how some of the biggest companies on the planet, such as Meta (Facebook) who are collaborating with the likes of Rayban to create an augmented world for their users.

Kit explains how a project in rural 5G connectivity led to potential developments in veterinary medicine, promising to enable remote farmers to use AR tech to carry out surgery on their own livestock.

Finally the pair take some time to think about the future applications of AR, could AR become the next step for ISOBus? Could screens in the tractor cab be a thing of the past, allowing farmers to get amazing results even from low tech machinery? Or perhaps, CEO of IAgrE, Charlie Nicklin, could appear in augmented reality to help farmers set up their classic tractor and plough for the perfect prize winning results?

#agritech #agtech #farming #Tractor #AR #VR #metaverse #meta #facebook #augmentedreality #farmsimulator #agriculturalengineer #Namaste #IAgrE #Ploughingmatch

James Write is a true pioneer, a first generation farmer and agritech entrepreneur with political ambitions in his sights.

Kit and Ray hear how James found farming during his time as a broke gap year traveller looking to earn some cash on a New Zealand dairy and how this ignited a passion to pursue a crash course in agriculture at the Royal Agricultural University.

James has explored opportunities in the start-up space innovating in the insect farming space to manage food waste through Multibox Ltd and now after a chance meeting and a New Years Day lunch with Ian Wheal, since then his day job has been to be part of the team building Breedr.

While helping to deliver the future of livestock agtech, James has also been able to build up a successful livestock farming business now proud to say that he and his wife own their own farm

James explains how his political ambitions are based on a desire to be part of the solution rather than complain about the problems of society. James is also keen to make sure that the rural voice is part of the political conversation and has brought his thoughts and ideas to bear as a local Conservative councillor. James is also keen to share the rural voice with national media and his column in GBNews and interviews for the BBC are a big part of his mission.

#VC #funding #startup #breedr #livestock #populist #agtec #agritech #farming #farmer #livestock #agriculturalengineering #agriculture #funded #IUK #politics

This week, Ray and Kit go in person and in deep on drones in agriculture – from early hype to present-day reality.

Kit recalls his 2012 vision of swarm robotics with seed-drone resupply, while Ray draws on his experience at Small Robot Company and the ever-present question: why not just use a drone? The pair explore how the drone code, safety legislation, and hardware limitations slowed innovation in the UK—despite widespread adoption elsewhere, especially for crop spraying.

They revisit examples from Hummingbird and Ursula Agriculture to Skippy Scout and XAG spray drones, highlighting the niche applications where UAVs now shine: from hillside weed control and carbon validation to mapping deer populations and those annoyingly-shaped fields in the US Midwest.

As ever, there’s a little satire, a nod to Ukraine’s drone-driven battlefield innovation, and a healthy dose of “what’s next?” for drone tech in ag.