Better outcomes, not lower costs: rethinking agtech in horticulture, with Mark Trzaskoma

The agricultural researcher system is good at creating new ideas, but much less good at making change stick. Pip Job unpacks what’s missing from the adoption equation and why the future of agtech may depend as much on understanding people as building technology.

Building a farm for an uncertain future means questioning some of the assumptions that have driven farming for decades. This episode explores how resilience, electrification, autonomy and diversification could fundamentally reshape the way farms are designed and operated.

Agricultural equipment dealers make money from much more than selling machinery, with parts, service and financing playing a critical role. This Business Model Breakdown explores the dealer model, using Titan Machinery as a case study, and asks how technology could reshape the dealer–farmer relationship.

Sixth-generation farmer and engineer Michael Taylor shares what decades of planting trees have taught his family about agroforestry, and the complex systems at work on a farm. From sheltering livestock to natural capital and biodiversity, he explores why some of agriculture’s most valuable innovations reveal their benefits over time.

What if crops could tell farmers they were sick before symptoms were visible? In this episode, Gary Schaefer from InnerPlant explains how plant-based sensors could transform crop monitoring, while sharing lessons on farmer adoption, commercializing agtech, and building the right strategic partnerships.