Page 62 - September October 2018 Disruption Report Flip Book

FARM CREDIT SYSTEM / FARMER MAC SEJPATN.U-AORCYT.20210818
10/22/2018
Future of food: inside agritech’s Silicon Valley | Financial Times
FARMING TECHNOLOGY FINANCING AND DEALS
$ millions, figure in bars indicate the number of deals
The challenge facing the researchers at Wageningen, who have traditionally brought their Down on the robot farm
innovations to market through collaboration with established companies, is how to engage with the new wave of entrepreneurs.
Iron Ox, a start-up 8,000 square-foot indoor hydroponic farm located in San Carlos, CA, produces
Wageningen is looking to back more small companies that spin off elements of its research. The
roughly 26,000 heads of leafy greens—a production level that’s roughly five times bigger than
university — which is in its centenary year and has a long history of working together with seed
a typical indoor farm. The company’s hydroponic system uses 90% less water than traditional
companies — now has 45 business development officers, liaising between labs and companies.
farming, while producing 30 times the amount of crops per acre. Iron Ox’s next big step is to install software, called “the Brain,” to enable robots collaborate other robots, which will transform
“Wageningen has a role to transfer scientific findings into innovation, fostering entrepreneurship,”
the operation into a fully autonomous farm. Today, human workers help with the seeding and
says Ms Fresco.
processing of crops, which the company hopes to automate in the near future.
Last year she launched a value creation unit to place a greater emphasis on bringing Wageningen’s research and innovation to market.
“The problem with the indoor [farm] is the initial investment in the system,” said Yiannis Ampatzidis, assistant professor of agricultural engineering at the University of Florida. “You have to invest a lot up front. A lot of small growers can’t do that... If we don’t find another way to bring people [to the US] for labor, automation is the only way to survive.” (MIT Magazine, Erin Winick, 10/03/18)
https://www.ft.com/content/199cae4c-cbc6-11e8-b276-b9069bde0956?_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9EWCs9JG6vRKpaEz6i8fjFwjv_mHmyYWLglKXt5Gt2lMiMm1CGOQ-I... 8/11
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