Agtech - So What?

What happens when you stop thinking about trees and agriculture as separate systems?

In this episode, sixth-generation Australian farmer and engineer Michael Taylor explains what decades of planting trees have taught his family about farming, resilience and innovation.

On their New England Tablelands farm, “Taylor’s Run,” the Taylors began planting trees for a practical reason: shelter. But over generations, those trees have become part of a much bigger story about agroforestry, biodiversity, natural capital, and the complex interactions at work across a farming system.



Michael discusses why farming, despite his engineering background, is one of the most complex systems to manage. He shares the lessons that have emerged over decades of tree planting, as well as the mistakes. And the unexpected benefits those experiences have revealed.The conversation also explores what happens when we try to put numbers around nature. Michael discusses how natural capital accounting and data can help demonstrate, in tangible figures, some of the things farmers already see and observe in their landscapes.

Sarah and Michael also discuss:

How trees can influence wind, moisture, ground cover and livestock protection

Why some innovations only reveal their true value over decades

How agroforestry can create value beyond timber

What natural capital accounting can tell us about farm systems

The limits of trying to simplify complex natural systems



Useful Links:

Valuing natural capital on Australian farms — Tenacious Ventures

Shifting from climate measurement to risk mitigation — Tenacious Ventures

Mark Wootton on carbon-neutral farming at Jigsaw Farms — Tenacious Ventures

Natural Capital - Forico

CSIRO Natural Capital Handbook

Bambra Agroforestry Farm — practical Australian agroforestry resources

Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) - Textile Exchange

Australian Farmer of the Year Michael Taylor shows how farming diversity can lead to sustainability - ABC News

For more information and resources, visit our website.

The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.

[00:2:00] Farming is a complex system

[00:20:00] Innovation reveals its value over time

[00:24:00] Data can make farmer knowledge visible

What if crops could tell you when they were sick, before you could see the symptoms?

Gary Schaefer leads the commercial organization at InnerPlant, a company with a radically different approach to crop monitoring: engineering plants to communicate when they are under stress. 

InnerPlant’s technology enables plants to emit a fluorescent signal within hours of infection by specific diseases, potentially giving farmers access to real-time information about what is happening in their crops. Their first commercial product, CropVoice, uses strategically placed “sentinel” plants to provide localized information about fungal disease risk in soybeans.

But like all things in agtech,  technology is only part of the story. 

In discussion with Dr Madeline Mitchell, Gary shares what InnerPlant has learned about bringing a new category of agtech to market. If plants can tell us what’s happening before we can see it, what else might that change about agriculture?

Gary and Maddie discuss:

What detecting disease before visible symptoms appear changes about crop protection

The shift from maximizing yield to maximizing efficiency

What InnerPlant learned by starting small and working closely with farmers.

What it takes to move from scientific innovation to commercialization.

Why strategic investment can be more valuable than capital alone.

How farmer investors can help shape an agtech company's path to market.

What the future could look like when every plant becomes a sensor.

Useful Links:

Ag Startup InnerPlant Develops New Crop Technology Alerting Farmers of Plant Stress

VCs should still chase agtech Cinderellas - Fast Company

Breaking Barriers in Crop Innovation (3 part series)

For more information and resources, visit our website. 

The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.

Agriculture often talks about telling a better story, but Jim Gall, the CEO of RB Sellars argues the real challenge is giving people something worth believing in.

RB Sellars is a workwear brand that’s well-known in regional Australia, largely for its work shirts. In this episode, Sarah speaks with Jim about why the strongest brands don't simply market themselves, rather they’re using technology, data, and transparency to earn trust. From AI-powered customer service and fiber traceability to customer insights and regional investment, Jim shares how innovation can strengthen relationships rather than replace them.

Drawing on his unique career spanning journalism, marketing, farming, and leadership, Jim explains why agriculture's future depends on businesses that understand their customers, invest in their communities, and build stories grounded in truth.

Sarah and Jim discuss:

Why traceability and provenance are becoming strategic advantages for agricultural businesses.

How RB Sellars uses customer data and agricultural insights to decide where to invest.

Why understanding farmers' seasonal needs changes the way products are designed and sold.

The leadership philosophy that encourages innovation through radical candor.

How combining data with local knowledge leads to better commercial decisions.

What agtech founders can learn about building brands that customers genuinely believe in.

Useful Links:

RB Sellars and Woolmark partner to champion Australian Merino wool

New Partnership highlights the appeal of Australian cotton

Putting cotton farmers at the forefront of the cotton industry, with Marzia Lanfranchi

Cotton Australia

The Woolmark Company

For more information and resources, visit our website. 

The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.

How do you know when a new agtech product is actually ready for the farm? 

Growing up on a family farm in Colorado over the declining Ogallala Aquifer, Chad Godsey has spent his career searching for ways to improve water and nutrient efficiency.  These days he’s the Chief Agronomist for Green Evolution Technologies, which has a hydrogel technology that’s engineered to store water and nutrients in the soil.

This episode explores why adoption looks different on every farm, how growers are increasingly using their own data to assess new products, and why farmer confidence, not just evidence, is often the biggest barrier to change.

Hosted by Tenacious’ Dr. Maddie Mitchell, they discuss why Green Evolution Technologies has deliberately taken a slower path to market, the role of farmer investors, and how building a product around real farming systems (versus chasing rapid growth) can create stronger businesses in the long term.

Maddie and Chad discuss:

Why farmers trust their own on-farm trials more than research papers

The realities of the technology adoption curve in agtech

Why startup timelines don't always match farming timelines

The commercialization strategy behind Green Evolution Technologies

Why efficiency is becoming more valuable than simply increasing yield

The role of hydrogels in improving water and nutrient use efficiency

Useful Links:

Is Agtech Broken for Venture Capital—or Are We Asking the Wrong Question?

When Kansas dries up…in 2050, with Dan Northrup

Pivot Bio

Godsey Precision Ag

GreenSeeker tool might help reduce your nitrogen costs - Corn

Accelerating the development of agtech worth adopting

For more information and resources, visit our website. 

The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.

What if the future of food isn't about convincing people to care more about sustainability, but rather focusing on what can improve taste?

In this episode, Tenacious’ Dr. Maddie Mitchell speaks with food futurist and innovation strategist Mike Lee about the forces shaping the future of food, agriculture, and consumer behavior. 

Mike has spent his career helping some of the world's largest food companies think differently about innovation. He's also the author of Mise: On the Future of Food, a speculative magazine from the future that explores what food systems could look like over the coming decades.

Together, Maddie and Mike unpack why consumers consistently say they care about sustainability but continue to buy based on taste, convenience, and price. They explore the growing interest in soil health and why one of the biggest opportunities for agtech may be proving the connection between healthy soils, flavor, and nutrient density.

They discuss:

Why taste still beats sustainability at the checkout

The emerging connection between soil health, flavor, and nutrition.

What agtech startups can learn from systems thinking

The links between personalized nutrition and crop diversity

Who’s driving more change: big food companies or startups

Useful Links:

Will consumers and companies ever pay for nutrition and soil health?

A New Blueprint for Big Food - by Mike Lee

Eating to Extinction 

GLP-1s are reshaping the food system — are midstream companies ready?

Companies mentioned: Chobani, Alpha Food Labs, Bionutrient Food Association, Edacious

For more information and resources, visit our website. 

The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.