Agtech Action | Week of 08.17.19-08.23.19
Happy Saturday!
Welcome to Agtech Action.
Apologies for being a bit behind schedule - busy week!
Events:
One week until InnovaSummit 2019, a Corporate Venture Summit, is taking place in Santiago, Chile on the 29th and 30th of August.
More details of the event, speakers and challenges at www.innovasummit.com.
Opportunities:
Building a globally recognised AgTech ecosystem in Australia < Worth at least a skim through!
Record number of fires burning in Brazil's Amazon rainforest
Iowa counties are underusing state grant program for well water testing
Consumers demand sustainability, but are they realistic about timeline?
What's the secret to getting farmers hooked on agtech apps? << It might be worth pausing and thinking about the consequences of “hooking” farmers on apps. I’d argue that farmers are currently “hooked” on the commodity system and limited options on both the input & processing end of the production system. And that stifles innovation (and hurts people.)
US Digital divide persists, BUT 53% of farms conduct business through the internet < It would be interesting to track and compare the growth/failure rate of the 53% and the 47%. If anyone sees that type of data, send it my way, please!
Spray antibiotics aren't working for citrus greening (but maybe trunk injection will...) << Or, try a new crop, like pongamia.
Solutions:
Studying rootstock & clone combos to save cabernet from climate change
Solar panels on farmland have huge electricity-generating potential
When the US Govt tried to replace migrant farmworkers with high schoolers < So worth reading and paying attention to this. “Immersion” programs could be a bridge between rural/urban instead of just a vacation to countries with lower drinking ages.
Policy:
Farmers say Trump broke his promise on ethanol with waivers to refineries
Angry farmers forces USDA to pull all staff from annual crop tour
Finance:
C7 Ventures, VC arm of The Hershey Co, invests in Blue Strips and Fulfil
Thrive announces finalists for Forbes AgTech Summit Indianapolis
US is now the world's leader in oil & natural gas production
Yield10 Biosciences expands nonexclusive research license with Bayer
AgFunder's investment in AI Pallette (Decacorn Capital led S$1.45M round)
Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!
Connie