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Business Wire
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Triple Helix Releases Report: 'Catalyzing U.S. AgTech Innovation: Opportunities for the Federal Government'
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Triple Helix Institute for Agriculture, Climate, and Society (Triple Helix), a nonprofit dedicated to building cross-sector awareness and engagement around agriculture technology (AgTech), today released its latest report Catalyzing U.S. AgTech Innovation: Opportunities for the Federal Government. The report, presented on Capitol Hill at a briefing supported by Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), describes opportunities for federal government action to support AgTech development as a vital component of America's agricultural competitiveness and prosperity. Congresswoman Budzinski stated, 'I'm excited to welcome Triple Helix to Capitol Hill as they lead the charge in advancing AgTech innovation.' Emerging innovations could transform U.S. agricultural productivity and resilience and need to be prioritized now to prepare us for generations to come. Share American dominance in agricultural innovation was historically driven by strong federal investment, in collaboration with research institutions and private sector actors. But decades of declining public sector support threaten U.S. agricultural leadership and national security. Today, both the EU and China significantly outspend the U.S. on agricultural research and development. With compounding challenges such as pests and diseases, extreme weather, and volatile supply chains, efforts to increase American agricultural resilience are critical. Emerging innovations could transform U.S. agricultural productivity and resilience and need to be prioritized now to prepare us for generations to come. Triple Helix's report is the culmination of an initiative to identify key inflection points in the U.S. AgTech pipeline where strategic federal support could drive growth. Through roundtable discussions held in New York, Illinois, California, and North Carolina, the organization gathered perspectives from academic researchers, startup founders, investors, commodity group representatives, farmers, and agribusiness leaders, among others. Stakeholders emphasized the federal government's crucial role across the U.S. AgTech ecosystem and stressed the need to close public sector support gaps in three key areas: Prioritizing proactive discovery-stage research and data accessibility Facilitating entrepreneurial translation and scale-up Building an efficient AgTech implementation ecosystem 'This report outlines actionable opportunities for the federal government to strengthen the U.S. AgTech innovation ecosystem,' said Dr. Sarah Garland, Founder and Executive Director of Triple Helix. 'Catalyzing the American AgTech sector requires effective collaboration across research, investment, and policy. Reestablishing and optimizing federal government leadership in this space is crucial.' 'I represent some of the best agricultural research institutions in Central and Southern Illinois and I've consistently fought for increased federal investment in the groundbreaking work our scientists do every day. Their research is essential to strengthening American agriculture, lowering food costs, improving nutrition, and supporting the farmers who power our economy. As Triple Helix highlights, staying at the top of agricultural technology is key to maintaining our global leadership in this vital sector," added Congresswoman Budzinski. To access the full report, please visit: About Triple Helix Triple Helix Institute for Agriculture, Climate, and Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to building cross-sector awareness and engagement around agriculture technology (AgTech). Led by scientists and rooted in evidence, Triple Helix presents an interdisciplinary and nuanced voice that is crucial for creating a more resilient future of agriculture. In a space often fraught with polarization and factions, Triple Helix emphasizes unity behind common goals and commitment to shared values. Triple Helix recently produced reports targeted at policymakers and investors on the topics AgTech for Biodiversity Conservation and AgTech for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions. These reports succinctly connect the dots between ambitious agricultural goals and various food and agriculture technologies that can help achieve them.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US AgTech capital drought continues, dairy and solar sectors offer bright spots
By Mrinalika Roy (Reuters) -The U.S. AgTech sector is navigating a challenging investment climate. Yet, amid the funding downturn, some companies are carving out growth opportunities, particularly in the dairy and solar sectors. Macroeconomic headwinds, weak commodity prices and a sluggish agricultural cycle have weighed on funding and valuations in the agricultural technology sector that encompasses precision farming, biotech and data analytics, which help farmers grow food more efficiently. According to the latest PitchBook data, AgTech venture funding dropped to $1.6 billion across 137 deals in the first quarter of 2025, a nearly 25% decline in deal count and a 3.6% fall in capital compared to the previous quarter. "AgTech's challenges aren't unique. What we're seeing is part of a broader venture capital correction, particularly outside AI," said Tom Brennan, partner, McKinsey & Co. But precision farming, which uses data and tools including automation and robotics to farm more accurately, has managed to see robust investor interest, amid a labor shortage. On a trailing 12-month basis, precision agriculture registered $1.82 billion in deal value, with the 'robotics and smart field equipment' sub-sector seeing 48.5% value growth. "Roughly 40% of U.S. ag labor is likely undocumented," said McKinsey's Vasanth Ganesan. "This creates strong incentives for farmers to turn to robotics and automation." California-based Monarch Tractor has seen increased interest in its autonomous products, especially from dairy farms. "Our latest feature, autonomous feed pushing, has seen strong uptake, especially from co-ops like Dairy Farmers of America," said Monarch CEO Praveen Penmetsa. Another growth avenue for agtech firms is solar land management, which involves robotic tractors that maintain and service panels on solar farms without human intervention, demand for which is driven by U.S. utilities powering the AI data center boom. "We're already working with top North American solar developers and expect to announce major partnerships soon," Penmetsa said. Major players such as John Deere and Caterpillar are also increasing their presence in automation. "Big players entering the space signals strategic value. It suggests there's now a clearer path to exit — which was not always the case in AgTech," McKinsey's Ganesan said. Experts believe the capital markets will rebound in the second half of 2025, barring prolonged trade disruptions, benefiting established players that are ready to scale.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US AgTech capital drought continues, dairy and solar sectors offer bright spots
By Mrinalika Roy (Reuters) -The U.S. AgTech sector is navigating a challenging investment climate. Yet, amid the funding downturn, some companies are carving out growth opportunities, particularly in the dairy and solar sectors. Macroeconomic headwinds, weak commodity prices and a sluggish agricultural cycle have weighed on funding and valuations in the agricultural technology sector that encompasses precision farming, biotech and data analytics, which help farmers grow food more efficiently. According to the latest PitchBook data, AgTech venture funding dropped to $1.6 billion across 137 deals in the first quarter of 2025, a nearly 25% decline in deal count and a 3.6% fall in capital compared to the previous quarter. "AgTech's challenges aren't unique. What we're seeing is part of a broader venture capital correction, particularly outside AI," said Tom Brennan, partner, McKinsey & Co. But precision farming, which uses data and tools including automation and robotics to farm more accurately, has managed to see robust investor interest, amid a labor shortage. On a trailing 12-month basis, precision agriculture registered $1.82 billion in deal value, with the 'robotics and smart field equipment' sub-sector seeing 48.5% value growth. "Roughly 40% of U.S. ag labor is likely undocumented," said McKinsey's Vasanth Ganesan. "This creates strong incentives for farmers to turn to robotics and automation." California-based Monarch Tractor has seen increased interest in its autonomous products, especially from dairy farms. "Our latest feature, autonomous feed pushing, has seen strong uptake, especially from co-ops like Dairy Farmers of America," said Monarch CEO Praveen Penmetsa. Another growth avenue for agtech firms is solar land management, which involves robotic tractors that maintain and service panels on solar farms without human intervention, demand for which is driven by U.S. utilities powering the AI data center boom. "We're already working with top North American solar developers and expect to announce major partnerships soon," Penmetsa said. Major players such as John Deere and Caterpillar are also increasing their presence in automation. "Big players entering the space signals strategic value. It suggests there's now a clearer path to exit — which was not always the case in AgTech," McKinsey's Ganesan said. Experts believe the capital markets will rebound in the second half of 2025, barring prolonged trade disruptions, benefiting established players that are ready to scale. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CNA
20-06-2025
- Business
- CNA
US AgTech capital drought continues, dairy and solar sectors offer bright spots
The U.S. AgTech sector is navigating a challenging investment climate. Yet, amid the funding downturn, some companies are carving out growth opportunities, particularly in the dairy and solar sectors. Macroeconomic headwinds, weak commodity prices and a sluggish agricultural cycle have weighed on funding and valuations in the agricultural technology sector that encompasses precision farming, biotech and data analytics, which help farmers grow food more efficiently. According to the latest PitchBook data, AgTech venture funding dropped to $1.6 billion across 137 deals in the first quarter of 2025, a nearly 25 per cent decline in deal count and a 3.6 per cent fall in capital compared to the previous quarter. "AgTech's challenges aren't unique. What we're seeing is part of a broader venture capital correction, particularly outside AI," said Tom Brennan, partner, McKinsey & Co. But precision farming, which uses data and tools including automation and robotics to farm more accurately, has managed to see robust investor interest, amid a labor shortage. On a trailing 12-month basis, precision agriculture registered $1.82 billion in deal value, with the 'robotics and smart field equipment' sub-sector seeing 48.5 per cent value growth. "Roughly 40 per cent of U.S. ag labor is likely undocumented," said McKinsey's Vasanth Ganesan. "This creates strong incentives for farmers to turn to robotics and automation." California-based Monarch Tractor has seen increased interest in its autonomous products, especially from dairy farms. "Our latest feature, autonomous feed pushing, has seen strong uptake, especially from co-ops like Dairy Farmers of America," said Monarch CEO Praveen Penmetsa. Another growth avenue for agtech firms is solar land management, which involves robotic tractors that maintain and service panels on solar farms without human intervention, demand for which is driven by U.S. utilities powering the AI data center boom. "We're already working with top North American solar developers and expect to announce major partnerships soon," Penmetsa said. Major players such as John Deere and Caterpillar are also increasing their presence in automation. "Big players entering the space signals strategic value. It suggests there's now a clearer path to exit — which was not always the case in AgTech," McKinsey's Ganesan said. Experts believe the capital markets will rebound in the second half of 2025, barring prolonged trade disruptions, benefiting established players that are ready to scale.
Reuters
20-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
US AgTech capital drought continues, dairy and solar sectors offer bright spots
June 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. AgTech sector is navigating a challenging investment climate. Yet, amid the funding downturn, some companies are carving out growth opportunities, particularly in the dairy and solar sectors. Macroeconomic headwinds, weak commodity prices and a sluggish agricultural cycle have weighed on funding and valuations in the agricultural technology sector that encompasses precision farming, biotech and data analytics, which help farmers grow food more efficiently. According to the latest PitchBook data, AgTech venture funding dropped to $1.6 billion across 137 deals in the first quarter of 2025, a nearly 25% decline in deal count and a 3.6% fall in capital compared to the previous quarter. "AgTech's challenges aren't unique. What we're seeing is part of a broader venture capital correction, particularly outside AI," said Tom Brennan, partner, McKinsey & Co. But precision farming, which uses data and tools including automation and robotics to farm more accurately, has managed to see robust investor interest, amid a labor shortage. On a trailing 12-month basis, precision agriculture registered $1.82 billion in deal value, with the 'robotics and smart field equipment' sub-sector seeing 48.5% value growth. "Roughly 40% of U.S. ag labor is likely undocumented," said McKinsey's Vasanth Ganesan. "This creates strong incentives for farmers to turn to robotics and automation." California-based Monarch Tractor has seen increased interest in its autonomous products, especially from dairy farms. "Our latest feature, autonomous feed pushing, has seen strong uptake, especially from co-ops like Dairy Farmers of America," said Monarch CEO Praveen Penmetsa. Another growth avenue for agtech firms is solar land management, which involves robotic tractors that maintain and service panels on solar farms without human intervention, demand for which is driven by U.S. utilities powering the AI data center boom. "We're already working with top North American solar developers and expect to announce major partnerships soon," Penmetsa said. Major players such as John Deere and Caterpillar are also increasing their presence in automation. "Big players entering the space signals strategic value. It suggests there's now a clearer path to exit — which was not always the case in AgTech," McKinsey's Ganesan said. Experts believe the capital markets will rebound in the second half of 2025, barring prolonged trade disruptions, benefiting established players that are ready to scale.
