Agtech: Reflections and the Road Ahead

Thirty years ago this month, I sold my first agricultural software product. It was such a significant moment that I kept the cheque from that first sale and never cashed it. While digging through old photo albums a few weeks ago, I stumbled across that cheque. That discovery inspired me to write this article, reflecting on the early days of my Agtech journey.

As it turns out, my first customer got a freebie—an early example of what seems almost standard for Agtech startups today.

The product was called Trees on Farm, an idea I designed myself. However, the software was white-labeled from a home gardening PC program called GrowIt Gold. Looking back, I now realize it was an early example of Agtech and digitizing natural capital management on farms—long before those terms even existed.

The Early Days of Agtech

At the time, I had heaps of books on farm trees and native plants, but it was challenging to figure out which trees worked best for different roles or where they would grow. My solution was to digitize all that information. Armed with a copy of Visual Basic Coding for Dummies, I tried to write the software myself. However, despite my efforts, coding just wasn't my strength, and it still isn’t.

This was before Windows was common in homes, and the internet and YouTube tutorials were non-existent. After hitting a wall with coding, I discovered GrowIt Gold, a DOS-based database for identifying suitable plants. I struck a deal with the developers, leaving the technical side to them while I focused on the content and design.

However, my target audience was tiny—something I hadn't fully considered. The on-farm conservation movement was still in its early stages, which meant a limited customer base. Incubators or accelerator programs to test concepts or examine markets weren't available then, so I just went for it.

Early Marketing Challenges

I had no sales or marketing experience back then, and my efforts were minimal—mainly limited to magazine ads. Unsurprisingly, the product didn't last long. Advertising costs mounted, while sales remained sparse. Eventually, I shelved my Agtech ambitions to focus on a career that paid the bills.

Still, I stayed close to the emerging Agtech world through my work. I was lucky enough to gain experience in CRM systems and some unique corporate Ag solutions, involving weather modeling, sensors, and early digitized cereal traceability. But in the early 2000s, most solutions were only partly digital and still required significant manual labor, either from farmers or agronomists. While the tech worked well, the return on investment often didn't justify the human effort required.

The Evolution of Agtech

So, what's changed in Agtech over the last 30 years? First and foremost, everyone now has a computer or digital device, which is a huge step forward. The advent of the iPad, smartphones, and internet connectivity opened up entirely new possibilities for taking digital tools into the field. No more dongles, link cables, or USB drives.

About a decade ago, I re-entered the Agtech space as a full-time career choice. Cloud-based systems were just emerging, but internet connectivity in rural areas was still patchy. Over the past 10+ years, the market has transformed. I've had the privilege of working with startups, scale-ups, and public programs, gaining experience with software, IoT, machinery hardware, precision agriculture, traceability, imagery, and, more recently, ESG on farms.

The barriers to entry that once plagued Agtech have largely been eliminated. The digitization of agriculture is rapidly catching up to other industries, driven by growing consumer demand for transparency around the food and fibers we consume.

The Next 10 Years of Agtech

The last decade has been a virtual spring of new ideas and opportunities in Agtech. However, I believe the next 10 years will be even more exciting. We're already seeing consolidation and attrition within the industry, and I expect that trend to continue. But the biggest change will be cross-industry integration, bringing agriculture closer to other sectors, both digitally and logistically.

Agrifood companies and support industries are moving closer to the farm, using digital tools to provide transparency from the source. This visibility is an opportunity for the industry to show consumers the positive impact of farming—how farmers are building sustainable futures while caring for the environment.

I'm excited to see where Agtech will be in 2034, even if I'll likely be much greyer by then.