Routine, The Secret Sauce.

Table of Contents

Agriculture Technology 1

Brain Teaser

Agriculture Technology 2

Tweets of The Week

Out and About: Links to Interesting News

Memes For Laughs

New In Ag-Tech

2025, The AgTech Renaissance

The past three years have revealed a decline in investments in ag-tech, with a staggering 70% drop. According to Ag Tech Navigator, there has been a shift away from the flashy, towering indoor farms (vertical farming) and lab-grown protein. Instead, harsh economic times seem to drive farming communities back to basics. The shift has been towards building practical, scalable agricultural solutions that focus on saving the planet and old farming practices. Are we experiencing a rebirth in agricultural technology?

It is in times of adversity that we are forced to think critically about why we do what we do. As cash taps dry all over the world, investors are becoming more critical of where they place their bets in agricultural technology. In addition to seeking information on your market size, competitive advantage, and how the technology works, sharks are keen on who your customer is and how willing they are to pay for the solution. But here is the litmus test: Does the technology solve a real problem on the farm?

The AgTech space feels different this year. A lot feels different this year, even as 2030 and the milestones therein appear on the horizon. We are getting back to basics and solving real problems. with a focus on cutting edge technology. What does this mean for Europe’s tech-space?

1. A rise in innovations around seeds and inputs. If the above article does not write it on the wall, then let me shed more light to this. The decline in yields and arable lands calls for innovative ways to increase plant productivity. Humanity is growing and so are dietary demands. With climate change, a focus on getting our production base working is a step in the right direction.

2. This brings me to my second thought. There will be more field trials. Now is a good time to partner with cooperatives, set up demonstration plots to test and document outcomes.

3. Ai is big right now. Expect a rise in adoption of generative Ai and data analytics to solve problems on the farm. With precision agriculture, pest forecasts and optimization of soils will be a thing! Data is the fuel to our farm works.

4. A call for solutions that reduce carbon, foster resilience in food systems while making money. With investors keen on impact and the world’s economy swings, it is crucial to focus on change that matters and lasts.

   The Ag Tech wave is here, powered by trust, proof, and progress. Take a deep dive. Design with GDPR compliance, regional supply chains, and CAP funding in mind.

                            Brain Teaser

             How many rectangles and squares can you find?

From Bedroom Experiment to Disruptive Seeding

New Zealand‑based Biolumic has unveiled a novel UV‑light treatment, an AgriTech breakthrough illuminating the path towards productivity. The xTraits^TM  platform uses targeted UV and visible light to activate beneficial gene expression in seeds. As a result, genetic traits like yield, resilience, and sustainability are enhanced in plants without genetic modification. For European farmers in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Ireland and the UK, this could be the quantum leap in crop productivity and profitability.

As narrated by Steve Sibulkin, the CEO of Biolumic, it has taken them over a decade of photobiology research to reach this milestone. It all started as a bedroom experiment. Jason Wargent, the company’s founder and Chief Scientist, kept a plate-sized LED array in his bedroom so that he could watch his seedlings grow over the weekends. In March 2018, Professor Wargent led the team in building the world's first UV photobiology R&D centre at Massey University. This enabled Biolumic to decode how 2.5 billion unique light‑recipes affect gene expression in seeds. The launch saw the biotech company get support from New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment through a partnership investment and collaborations with other companies. They even got investments from Canopy Rivers, Helius Therapeutics and recently, the strategic investor group led by the Ki Tua Fund. Furthermore, extensive trials were done across more than 6,000 test plots on corn, rice, soybean, strawberries, cereals and forage.

Biolumic has experimented using lettuce in Britain, Spain and Mexico, to prove that UV treatments can increase crop yields by up to 40% in a variety of conditions. Trait amplification is evident with more than 20% increased yields in hybrid corn born of light-treated parents, 8-9% gains in inbred seed lines and a 50% reduction in disease pressure on soybeans and vegetables. European crops like wheat, barley, sugar beet, rapeseed, potatoes and corn stand to gain from double-digit yield upticks, improved disease resistance. Wetter states such as Ireland and the UK would gain from the technology’s stronger seedling establishment and crop uniformity. To crown it all, xTraits^TM  is enables us meet EU climate commitments given its methane‑mitigating potential through forage grasses.

In March this year, a commercial rollout of the technology was launched in the US. Biolumic bagged $8.3 million in Series B funding to expand into Europe, targeting corn, soybean, rice, forage grass—and soon, wheat and barley. With the lack of regulatory frameworks, this pioneer in seed trait innovation is set for faster market expansion (90% quicker as compared to other technologies such as GMO). Biolumic’s technology also saves on costs. By improving seed traits without changing the plant’s genetics, seed companies can use the varieties they prefer. The seed industry in Europe could also experience trait commercialization in 3 years at 10% of what GM costs. We need collective action as farmers, breeders, policymakers, and innovators like yesterday. Field launches in Europe are anticipated by the 2026 season. This is the perfect time for local seed companies to embed Biolumic xTraits™ into research & development and commercial seed lines. Farmers and agronomists may also test out the light-treated seed in their fields and watch their yields grow. Policy makers can tie all this up through instituting regulatory pathways and funding that enable xTraits^TM  to flourish across Europe’s agricultural landscape.

"To see things in the seed, that is genius," by Lao Tzu

Tweets of The Week

Out and About

> UK’s Red Mite Awareness Month: On average, 60–85% of UK commercial laying farms are affected by red mites at any one time. MSD Animal Health research shows that even moderate infestations can cost 50 pounds per bird, while severe cases could cost as much as £2.17 per bird per year. Red mites are blood-feeding parasites that stress birds, reduce egg production and quality, and contribute to increased mortality and disease spread. The red little demons cost the UK poultry sector over £100 million annually. With this being a menace, a nation-wide red mite awareness campaign is scheduled for June. The campaign will promote active red mite monitoring across breeding and laying farms. Producers will be granted access to free monitoring packs to assess infestation levels. Here is how to get involved.

>The Brains Behind Bitcoin: Last week, I began a series on bitcoin and started us off with the definition of this buzz word. I believe that to understand the evolution of anything, one has to start from its origin. While bitcoin started in 2009, a famous white paper made by an inventor under the name Satoshi Nakamoto is where the idea for Bitcoin came from. The anonymous author has almost become a myth. No one has ever said who they are and they are said to have a stash of bitcoin worth more than $120B. Investopedia lives to tell the story.

>Fine Find, the second biggest Diamond: It has been over a century since the unearthing of the world’s largest diamond, the Cullinan Diamond that weighed 3,106 carats. In North East of Botswana, a 2,492-carat stone came out of the Karowe Mine. This diamond is almost as big as an adults hand. With no name and no value attached to it, this new gem is history in the making. Who new that over a century later, Africa would find the second largest diamond all thanks to X-Ray technology? NBC News has more.

>Capitalizing on Anxiety: One British surgeon, Dr. Joseph Lister formulated an antiseptic for use in surgery and for cleaning wounds. Listerine came to be in 1879 when a chemist from St. Louis named Dr. Joseph Lawrence gave Lister’s antiseptic a unique formula, an alcohol-based antiseptic. In 1921, Listerine faced declining annual revenues of $115,000. Through research, experimentation and undying curiosity, listerine was reinvented into a household name. A problem was created with listerine as the solution. Discover how clever messaging can turn your struggling business into a global icon on LinkedIn.

>Dairy Nightmares: Your late-night snacking of cheese might be costing you sleep. Canadian researchers surveyed college students. They observed that people with regular nightmares and poor sleep were more likely to have food allergies, including lactose intolerance. The researchers believe stomach troubles can induce distress during sleep. “The results we obtained confirmed our hypothesis that lactose intolerance is indeed predictive of disturbed dreaming and nightmares,” Ross Powell, a psychologist and MacEwan University professor emeritus in Edmonton, Alberta, told Gizmodo. More on this discovery on Gizmodo.

                   Answer to Brain Teaser
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