Download the Agtech Alchemy Quarterly: https://agtechalchemy.substack.com/p/...
GenAI Whitepaper (Rishi Pethe): https://www.rhishipethe.com/genai-in-ag
Episode Summary
Future of Agriculture hosts the founding team behind Agtech Alchemy—Walt Duflock (Western Growers), Sachi Desai(Bayer Crop Science), and Rishi Pethe (Software is Feeding the World)—to discuss their new 116-page Agtech Alchemy Quarterly, a curated digest of recent agtech analysis and essays. The conversation covers why the group started meetups and a quarterly “best of” reader, how curation surfaces patterns you’d miss reading posts in isolation, and what the current cycle means for startups at the ag-tech intersection.
What’s inside the Quarterly (and this discussion):
- Startup reality: Clear view of challenges (capital scarcity, long sales cycles, policy constraints) and how lower build costs create more “shots on goal” for software/analytics.
- Where AI fits: Practical GenAI and AI-as-copilot examples (internal tools for sales/support; human-in-the-loop workflows), plus why data foundations still decide outcomes.
- Labor & automation: Economics pushing specialty crops toward automation; hardware timelines vs. faster software iteration and pivots.
- Incentives & policy: Why trade, regulation, and labor policy shape adoption as much as tech; incentives determine behavior.
- Outside perspectives: Essays (e.g., Hollis Robbins) pull in non-ag viewpoints on skills, the “last-mile human,” and upskilling.
- Theme running through it: When and how technology becomes durable competitive advantage—not just tooling.
Guests referenced & contributors:
Janette Barnard, Matthew Pryor (Tenacious Ventures), Dan Schultz, Shane Thomas, Ariel Patel, and others—alongside the three Agtech Alchemy founders.
What’s next:
Agtech Alchemy plans a Spring edition focused on AI and autonomy, with a mix of startup, enterprise, and policy voices. Interested contributors can reach the team via the Agtech Alchemy LinkedIn and Slack communities.
Tone check:
The episode is informal and occasionally wonky—four operators who care about agtech, comparing notes and connecting the dots. Listen for the overview; read the full Quarterly for depth.
