Exclusive
Beyond spraying: John Deere reveals See & Scout built on precision ag tech
John Deere’s precision ag technology See & Spray is providing the foundation for other digital farming tools, like the forthcoming See & Scout feature
Robotics, automation & equipment
Agtech adoption isn’t a tech problem – it’s a systems problem
From trust and risk to interoperability and empathy, panellists on AgTechNavigator’s global webinar unpack the barriers to agtech adoption – and why the solution is less about technology and more about systems
John Deere’s precision ag strategy: How the OEM equips farms of all sizes with digital farming tools
John Deere is providing multiple points of entry to its precision agriculture tools
Fieldwork Robotics raises £3m to take autonomous harvesting from pilot plots to everyday farm operations
With £3 million in new funding secured, UK-based Fieldwork Robotics says it is entering the most critical phase in its development: moving autonomous raspberry harvesting out of controlled trials and into growers’ core operations, where cost, uptime and...
Agflation tightens its grip – and agtech without clear ROI is first in the firing line
As UK farming faces its sharpest cost squeeze since early 2022, Andersons’ latest agflation data suggests the agtech sector is entering a harder, more forensic phase – where resilience tools become infrastructure rather than innovation, but where...
USDA leans into agtech innovation with National Proving Grounds Network
The U.S. government is supporting agriculture technology with a program to test products and services with the goal of de-risking farmer adoption of agtech
Ecorobotix invests $50M to scale US assembly of its ultra‑precise ARA sprayer
Swiss precision‑ag specialist Ecorobotix will assemble its flagship ARA sprayer in Kansas as part of a $50 million expansion, creating 80 jobs and accelerating the rollout of plant‑level crop protection technology tailored for the demands of US specialty...
Precision ag adoption forecasts have been wrong for 20 years, landmark study finds
New analysis reveals systemic overestimation of digital farming adoption and warns adoption hinges on technology that easily fits into modern cropping systems with a “well presented and consistent” ROI for farm operations
Ag movers & shakers for March 2026: ADM makes South America appointment, AGCO names CDIO
ADM and AGCO top a busy month of people news, which also included announcements from Carbon Robotics and AGI
World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit San Francisco 2026
Tanimura & Antle’s tech journey: How the specialty crop grower is boosting production with agtech
Tanimura & Antle’s tech stack includes everything from laser weeders to digital platforms to drip irrigation
World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit San Francisco 2026
Video: Reservoir Farms showcases ag innovation in action during grand opening
Reservoir Farms is bringing the agtech start-up community together in Salinas, California — creating the future of farming in the process
World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit San Francisco 2026
4 trends reshaping agtech: How start-ups, investors, companies are navigating a tough year
AgTechNavigator Editors Ryan Daily and Oliver Morrison unpack the top takeaways from the 2026 edition of the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in San Francisco
Why OEMs are betting on precision weeding: Kubota leads €6.5M round in Kilter to tackle labour scarcity, residue limits and ROI
With many farmers postponing equipment purchases and manufacturers cutting production, Kubota’s €6.5 million investment in Kilter shows where equipment makers still see near-term value: autonomy that reduces labour risk, slashes chemical use and offers a...
Robotic weeding start-up AgriPass raises $7.5m seed round, partners with Fyeld to expand tech
Agtech start-up AgriPass is gaining commercial traction with its weeding robot, with $1 million in projected revenues for 2026
Farmers plan to pay down debt with FBA checks, Purdue reports
U.S. farmers face mounting financial pressures, which is impacting ag machinery spending and expansion plans
Back to basics: For Sierra Leone’s amputee farmers, agri‑tech begins with a wheelbarrow
Agri‑tech innovation is often synonymous with automation, robotics, AI and gene‑edited crops. But for many farming communities around the world, transformative technology looks very different. Sometimes it’s not an algorithm or a sensor, but a tool...
The next five years will eclipse the last 25: Steve McLean on agriculture’s defining decade
New UK Agri-Tech Centre CEO Steve McLean says the industry is entering a defining period that demands bigger thinking, harder commercial focus, and technologies proven on real farms, not just in labs
‘Things are not getting worse,’ AGCO CFO unpacks state of ag machinery, circles Brazil as growth market
AGCO signaled that the worst might be behind the ag machinery market, as the original equipment manufacturer is tapping into opportunities in precision ag and South America
Start-up profile
Agtech’s biggest bottleneck isn’t hardware – It’s skilled people
As ag equipment becomes more advanced, the skills gap in rural regions is widening. Questr believes training local technicians, not new tools, will unlock the next wave of agtech adoption
Hungary creates first clear EU pathway for legal drone spraying, SynTech Research says
New national guidelines position Hungary at the forefront of drone‑based biocontrol regulation, opening the door for next‑generation pest‑management solutions
EU machinery makers told to rethink strategy as farmer needs, tech shift and Asian competition reshape market
Rabobank warns Europe’s machinery industry faces a decisive decade, requiring sharper tech choices, new market priorities and a stronger global mindset
‘2026 marks the bottom of the current cycle,’ John Deere predicts rebound is around the corner
Has the North American ag machinery market moved past peak tariff uncertainty?
Water efficiency for all farm sizes, shapes: Valley Irrigation reveals Small Field Center Pivot
Valley Irrigation is set to release a center pivot with precision irrigation capabilities that is designed for smaller and irregularly shaped fields
CNH Industrial lays out strategy for ‘trough year’ in 2026, following declining machinery sales in 2025
The UK-based ag machinery supplier closed its fiscal year 2025 with a down quarter due to slumping North American sales, amid macro factors like tariffs and ag economy challenges
Africa has the tech – what it needs now is integration: Report urges rethink of agri-food innovation
Africa’s agri-food transformation hinges less on discovering new technologies and more on governing, integrating, adapting and scaling the ones already available
UK farmers say their sustainability efforts are being ignored, new research warns
Pinstone Pulse report finds 92% of farmers feel unrecognised for on‑farm sustainability progress – deepening a disconnect already flagged in last year’s Barclays‑commissioned analysis
Nofence pushes back on welfare concerns as it tops 200,000 collars and expands into Sweden
As UK regulators sharpen their focus on virtual fencing, Norwegian firm Nofence says evidence‑based evaluation will show the technology supports – not compromises – animal welfare. The company has also passed major commercial milestones, including...
UK backs next wave of low‑emission farming tech with £1.34m innovation boost
DEFRA and Innovate UK target methane‑cutting feed, climate‑smart crops, biochar fertilisers and advanced waste-to-energy solutions across 15 projects
‘Act now or face decline’: Industry warned over critical ag labour gaps
A UK report calls for a national skills campaign as labour shortages threaten future food security
Ten trends that will shape farming in 2026
Carbon markets to mature, data spaces to scale and robotics to accelerate as over 8,000 industry professionals gather in Spain
Why agtech start-ups failed last year – and a playbook for 2026
Analysis claims last year’s collapses stemmed from structural cost‑adoption mismatches – not broken technology – and outlines where disciplined growth will re‑emerge
Ag distributor Thunderstruck adds FertiSystems, Sharp Harvest products
Farmers are turning to tech to save time, money, and resources, and ag distributor Thunderstruck is helping them do that through a portfolio of global equipment makers and after-market parts
Kubota’s 2026 strategy: How the OEM is commercialising automation, moving beyond prototypes
Kubota embraces the physical AI moment, as the original equipment manufacturer accelerates its automation commercialisation efforts
CES 2026: Kubota, Bobcat showcase AI advancements, indoor ag goes consumer tech with Luya
AI was all the rage at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show, as companies like Kubota and Bobcat showcased their automated machinery, and Luya demonstrated the potential of growing microgreens at home
Harvest optimisation company Bushel Plus launches concaves for John Deere X9 combines
Bushel Plus’ X9 Split Frame MAD Concaves is making it easier to switch concaves from harvesting one crop to another, saving farmers money, resources — and most importantly — time
Agtech company PowerPollen partners with Oxbo on commercial expansion
PowerPollen’s partnership with original equipment manufacturer Oxbo is opening up revenue and market opportunities for the agtech company
State of VC in agtech: Will 2026 be the year funding — finally — rebounds?
An agtech funding renaissance did not materialize in 2025, but venture capitalists are hopeful a new floor is firmly established this year, with AI and robotics leading the sector to its next growth stage
FCC ban to spark shake-up in US ag spray sector
The Federal Communications Commission has barred new foreign-made drones from operating on US communications infrastructure, citing national security risks – a move set to reshape the agricultural drone landscape
Sleighing the challenge: How smart tracking is boosting efficiency for Finland’s reindeer herders
In Finland’s Arctic wilderness, where 300,000 reindeer roam beyond cellular reach, herders face a race against time every winter. With up to 10% of animals disappearing, Finnish map-technology company Mapitare is using real-time monitoring to turn blind...
Agtech promise falls short: UK official report highlights disconnect between innovation and on-farm reality
Influential former NFU president Baroness Batters calls for a “new deal” for British farming, highlighting that despite enthusiasm for technology it too often fails to align to business needs or find practical application on farms
American Autonomy targets US data-security fears as NDAA deadline puts Chinese ag drones on notice
Rebranded from Rantizo, American Autonomy is launching a US-built software platform that promises farmers full control of their drone data – and a practical path off proprietary Chinese ecosystems – just as a new federal audit deadline threatens market...
Exclusive: Agreenculture banks €6m to fast‑track ‘plug‑and‑play’ autonomy – and the ROI to win over farmers
French start-up Agreenculture has raised €6 million to industrialise its certified, retrofit autonomy kit for tractors and implements. By emphasising quick payback and a simple integration path for OEMs, the company says it can turn autonomy from a...
‘Bury this box, power your farm’: The start-up making soil a clean energy source
A six-inch box buried in the soil might hold the key to powering agriculture’s digital future. So believes UK-based Bactery, which is pioneering bacteria-powered “soil batteries” that generate clean, continuous energy from the natural activity of...
From compaction to resilience: The capsule that hopes to transform soil health
Born from Imperial College and Royal College of Art’s innovation labs, Muju Earth is tackling one of agriculture’s toughest challenges of soil degradation with Aeropod, a biodegradable capsule designed to restore soil health and cut costs. Its mission:...
John Deere highlights automation advancements, Brazilian innovation at investor day
John Deere is capitalizing on demand for automation amid persistent labour challenges and tailor-made innovation for specific markets, like Brazil
‘The Olympic village of agtech’ cuts ribbon on second site, toasts California’s wine country
Reservoir Farms expands its presence with a facility in the heart of California’s wine country
John Deere dealers now offer harvest loss management system by Bushel Plus
John Deere and Bushel Plus are working together to address a major issue impacting farmers — harvest loss
Agritechnica 2025: Key trends from the world’s largest ag equipment show
Agritechnica 2025, held last month in Hanover, Germany, attracted nearly 480,000 visitors to 23 halls across 100 acres, showcasing cutting-edge tractors, robotics, AI, and precision farming solutions. Here are the standout trends
Rigid loan rules ‘risk killing UK innovation’ warns Wootzano as it fights for survival
Despite growing orders, British agri-robotics firm Wootzano is facing imminent closure after a Scottish court froze its bank accounts following a winding-up petition filed by Innovate UK Loans Limited
Agtech VC trends in Q3 2025: AI spurs interest in robotics, biologicals slump
The flight to quality continues in agtech, as interest in robotics picks up fueled by general interest in AI and automation