Understanding the farmer's workflow. Building products that solve problems rather than create them
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This document discusses challenges and opportunities in agricultural technology (AgTech). It notes that while tech solutions are increasingly demanded in agriculture, integrating them successfully is difficult due to psychological and practical differences between tech and farming cultures. It advocates focusing first on technologies that solve clear problems for farmers through improved usability, flexibility and practicality. Overall, the document argues for a step-wise approach to AgTech integration over time to drive on-farm efficiencies and optimize inputs through improved data capture and analytics.
Understanding the farmer's workflow. Building products that solve problems rather than create them
- 1. 820 PARK ROW, #534 SALINAS, CA 93901 831-595-6064 WWW.AGTECHINSIGHT.COM INVESTORS@AGTECHINSIGHT.COM AgSum - Understanding the Farmers Workflow – Building Solutions for Farmers ©2017 AgTech Insight LLC • Confidential
- 2. 820 PARK ROW, #534 SALINAS, CA 93901 831-595-6064 WWW.AGTECHINSIGHT.COM INVESTORS@AGTECHINSIGHT.COM Aaron Magenheim AgTech Insight LLC , CEO • From Salinas, Central California • 20 yrs - family ag irrigation business • 6 yrs - Stand alone AgTech integration company • 3 yrs – AgTech Insight – bridging the gap • 2.5 yrs – AgTech Industries – Software & Hardware development & sales ©2017 AgTech Insight LLC • Confidential
- 3. Our team is comprised of a diverse array of professionals, strategically chosen to drive the success of your investment or product within the shortest time possible Our practices include: • 40 + years of farming knowledge and practices • 10 years of in-field technology integration and testing • 10 years of Technology private placement and M&A advisory experience • Ag Irrigation specialist of 35 years • Agriculture, Hardware and Software engineers • IT and AG analytics • Robotics & controls • Agronomy & soil science • Strategic Marketing and Business Planning • Growers willing to push the limits of AgTech Our deep professional network and domain expertise ideally positions us increase the success of your investments in AgTech Our Team ©2017 AgTech Insight LLC • Confidential
- 4. Traditions are becoming OLD PRACTICE • Tech is finally looking beyond their traditional markets to discover the huge untapped market of agriculture. • It’s time to not just tweet what you had for dinner, but insure that you have something on the plate to eat Agriculture is a market that has been completely ignored by the technology industry. Farmers have continued to follow the traditional growing practices that they have been accustomed to for the past 40 years with minor improvements. Average age of farmer in Japan is 66.5 Years old ©2017 AgTech Insight LLC • Confidential
- 5. AgTech Perspectives from the Farm • How does the next generation work force look? – Technology will increase the need for existing resources to learn new skill sets • Maintenance and repair • Monitoring and trouble shooting / scouting • Precision interventions (nutrients, water, etc.) • Irrigation & input technologies are top of mind – Technologies help alter normal practice and improve efficiency / production. – Plant & soil or weather based real time monitoring – Measuring input use per yield rather than acre – Variable rate irrigation / spoon fed nutrition ©2017 AgTech Insight LLC • Confidential
- 6. AgTech - Ranch wide usability Ag Technology Labourers Ranch Managers Irrigators How do we integrate tech throughout all generations and education levels of the operation? Older generation growers – Starting utilize email a few years ago Recent Collage graduates & ranch managers – Have owned a cell phone since high school… hardly remembers first computer Laborers – can navigate a smart phone but analytics (graphs & numbers) can be hard to decipher or make decisions with ©2017 AgTech Insight LLC • Confidential
- 7. Current AgTechnology Problems • 10-20 year-old technology • Many new solutions fail: • Lacking user experience. • Scalability – solution focus is on to small of a territory. • The constant “service model” oriented solutions – too much cost & upkeep. • Communication issues • No standardization • Most software is proprietary and non compatible ©2017 AgTech Insight LLC • Confidential
- 8. Challenges for New Technologies Tech based solutions are often not market ready in Ag The psychological separation between the tech industry and farming is drastic Tech realizes the demand, but is challenged to pinpoint exact solutions Ag has trouble finding and integrating the solutions needed to improve their operations ©2017 AgTech Insight LLC • Confidential
- 9. AgTech Steps to Success – Fix the Fundamentals • Educate investors – especially seed & angels • Agriculture is a very old art • Basic technologies are needed to understand and fix fundamental issues • Help growers identify WHAT & WHERE they can improve and WHY - 30% irrigation water does not reach the field – but how much is that? - Current water reporting is thought to be ONLY 50% accurate • Convert paper records to digital - Create actionable data from historical - Educate users to understand what it means and how to use data • Drones are like spaceships to growers ©2017 AgTech Insight LLC • Confidential
- 10. What to Look for in a Technology • Growers should focus on technologies that not only solve problems, but that are also usable, flexible and practical – This ensures maximum utilization of the tech and ROI • Growers should also seek to use technology that solves a problem for the end user of their crop – This will help to differentiate their crop from those of other producers, and to create (and capture) more value • Focus on tech that has the potential for a “double rainbow”… – Anything that can provide cost savings, efficiency gains, and can create/capture more value by providing differentiated products should be high on the focus list ©2017 AgTech Insight LLC • Confidential
- 11. Current Trends • Easily accessible historic records • Weather • Inputs • Irrigation • Fertilizer injection • Pesticide applications - Rate - Locations - Type • Pest or fungal infestations • Remote sensing / imaging • Equipment • Harvest data • Labor • Tie all data to specific locations • ETC… • Maximize current growing practices ©2017 AgTech Insight LLC • Confidential
- 12. Data capture Remote Sensors GIS GPS Imaging Communications / Connectivity Infrastructure Cloud Based Wireless Radio Cellular Bluetooth WiFi Sattlelite Big Data Aggregation Access Analytics Actionable Data Storage Business Management Back office / ERP CRM Supply chain / logistics Brokering Reporting / compliance Traceability Applications Sensor monitoring and control Sales and marketing Supply / demand Commodity pricing Input optimization Workforce • More data “layers” for each sector, attached to specifics (crop, block, row, plant-level), allow for precision management to drive input optimization and overhead reduction • ROIs in AgTech should be measureable, clear, and ever improving by referencing historical data; a finite number of variables to contend with make hurdles for investment lower Integrating the Information Layers ©2017 AgTech Insight LLC • Confidential
- 13. AgTech Integration Timeline When should I invest and plan for success? What should my startup concentrate on? => It all depends on your timeline objectives Now - Fix the fundamentals – improve the basics - Take paper records to digital - educate the Seed and Angel Investor Near Future - Integrate data to get full picture - set the stage Future - Start integrating advanced “sexy” tech – drones, robotics etc. And Then… – Mass adoption of “new tech” explodes - Plant level treatment becomes realistic in commercial farming ©2017 AgTech Insight LLC • Confidential
- 14. • Collaborate with others • Play an advisory roll • Be involved in incubators • Become an investor • Participate in events on a regular bases • Leverage your experience in other sectors • Be an advocate in your organization to dedicate resources to advancing the industry ©2017 AgTech Insight LLC • Confidential
- 16. • 820 PARK ROW, #534 SALINAS, CA 93901 831-5895-6064 WWW.AGTECHINSIGHT.COM INVESTORS@AGTECHINSIGHTS.COM Questions & open discussion ©2017 AgTech Insight LLC • Confidential