Agtech - So What?

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT have been making waves across the global economy, but it’s not always clear how these language creating tools can make a difference in industries like agriculture. While companies everywhere are scrambling to develop their own proprietary AI tools before they even know what they’ll use them for, many in ag are left wondering– should I be using ChatGPT too?

Today we’ve asked Marc Arnusch, President of Arnusch Farms, to share his experiences using ChatGPT in farming, negotiation, and more. He’s had the opportunity to use the tool for tasks big and small, and has witnessed some exciting outcomes, and some that leave him worried.

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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 read the information memorandum and seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe Information is correct, no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness is given, except for liability under statue which cannot be excluded.

We've spent a lot of time this year talking about the future of specific sub-spaces of the food system– fertilizer, vertical farming, alternative protein, and ag retail, just to name a few. We’ve focused a lot on the existing internal trends and pressures that help us predict what might be coming next, but we’ve talked less about the factors outside of the expected, not least the way that people - from lawmakers, to organizations, to consumer groups- might be able to play a more active, and less reactive, role in shaping that future.

Today we’ve asked Ian Proudfoot, Global Head of Agribusiness at KPMG, to help us explore that question, specifically as it relates to the conclusions included in KPMG’s most recent 2023 Agribusiness Agenda.

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 read the information memorandum and seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe Information is correct, no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness is given, except for liability under statue which cannot be excluded.

On the surface, the opportunity to transition on-farm energy to electricity seems limited at best. Farm jobs and farm equipment are big, and often require a level of power that electric options have historically been unable to meet. But between advances in electric vehicles and shifting dynamics in farm operations, those limitations are starting to dissolve. So we’ve started to wonder: is on-farm electrification at a tipping point?

Today we’ve asked David Meyers, CEO and Founder at GridTractor, to help us explore that question. His perch at the head of an agricultural fleet electrification and charging services company gives him a unique perspective on what comes next for energy use on the farm level, and what that could mean not only for the industry, but for electrification across the economy as well.

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 read the information memorandum and seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe Information is correct, no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness is given, except for liability under statue which cannot be excluded.

The modern fashion industry creates a ton of waste. From the field to the cutting line, to the supply chain and consumers' closets, today’s ultra-cheap “fast fashion” obsession means everyday a lot of fiber gets carted off to landfills around the world.

Some amount of that fiber however– especially cotton– is not only biodegradable, it can actually be a valuable addition to soils, especially in dry climates where fibers help hold water. This fact has spurred researchers and farmers in Australia, alongside the Cotton Research Development Corporation (CRDC), to begin experimenting with turning waste fiber into a soil amendment, returning cotton to whence it came and at the same time, removing bulk from overcrowded dumps and investing in a more circular future for the industry. To explore this ongoing work, Sarah is joined this week by Sam Coulton, a third generation Queensland cotton grower and owner of Gondiwindi Cotton.

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 read the information memorandum and seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe Information is correct, no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.

There are few areas of the ag sector that are more in need of tech solutions than tree fruits. All around the world, factors like labor shortages, an aging farm workforce, mounting regulations, and rising costs have put fresh produce growers in a bind.

AgTech innovators have been hard at work on tools - especially harvesting tools - for years. But progress has been much slower than many hoped. One of the key problems from a grower perspective is the price tag– even when a robot comes along that can pick or prune, it’s too expensive for all but the biggest growers.

To understand this challenge better, today we’re diving into how growers think about tech solutions that are accessible to growers of all sizes. Sam Godwin, second generation apple, pear, and cherry farmer, and current chairman of the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission.

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 read the information memorandum and seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe Information is correct, no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.