Welcome back, listeners! In today's episode, we dive into the latest strides in AgTech — the H1 2026 state of play with $1.27 billion across 89 deals, Europe's first new herbicide active ingredient in over 15 years from Bayer, Pivot Bio's PROVEN 40 clearing EPA registration, John Deere's See & Spray surpassing 1 million acres, a WFFS strawberry virus spreading through 28 US states with no cure available, and Nutrien and Ceres putting AI agronomic support into 2,000-plus retail locations. Let's get started!
Here’s a Quick Snapshot of What’s Making Headlines:
Analysis: H1 2026 AgTech State of the Industry: $1.27B disclosed across 89 deals, robotics leads funding, partnerships dominate activity, Series A and B still squeezed, and a clear bifurcation between infrastructure plays and product companies
Partnerships: Nutrien and Ceres partner to deploy AI-powered agronomic decision support to Nutrien's 2,000-plus retail locations; AGCO expands its Trimble precision ag licensing deal to cover additional machine lines
Crop Protection: Bayer receives EU authorisation for LASO, its first new herbicide active ingredient in Europe in over 15 years; Pivot Bio's PROVEN 40 receives EPA registration — first biological nitrogen product cleared at 40 pounds per acre rate
Precision Ag: John Deere See & Spray surpasses 1 million commercial acres treated; Headwall Photonics and Agremo integrate hyperspectral imaging with AI crop analytics for canopy-level nutrient and stress detection
Grain & Supply: Scoular publishes its 2025 sustainability report covering 2.5 billion bushels handled; AGT Food and Ingredients expands pulse protein capacity in Saskatchewan; Viterra completes integration of Gavilon grain assets
Plant Health: WFFS strawberry virus spreads to 12 additional US states — now present in 28 states with no curative treatment available; EPPO adds Potato Virus A to its A2 quarantine list
Funding: Keenan Systems raises 12M euros to scale livestock feed management AI; BeeHero closes $10M Series B for precision pollination; Farmonaut raises $3M for satellite crop monitoring across emerging markets
Events: Commercial UAV Expo (Las Vegas), Taiwan Smart Agriweek, Women in Agribusiness Global Summit (New Orleans), Global Agrovet Research Conference (Dubai), EIMA International (Bologna)
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