Successful Farming – August 2019

needs, their pain points, and their nails. Only then does it return
to Israel, where there are more than 6,000 hammers, to find the
right solution and provider to meet a client’s specific needs.
On the Israeli side, the team targets relevant companies
and vets them through its strategic partners and also runs
them through its own internal vetting process. The process is
focused on three major aspects, which include:

• Relevancy to the Midwestern market


• Quality and professionalism of the team


• Readiness to operate in the U.S. market
  “Once we select a company to work with, we make sure it
  is prepared to operate in the U.S. by providing training and
  preparation sessions in advance using Israeli professionals and
  U.S. mentors,” he says.
  Already well established in the U.S., CropX (cropx.com) is an
  Israeli start-up that offers an integrated hardware and software
  system that measures soil moisture, temperature, and electrical
  conductivity. Data is sent to the cloud and can be accessed from
  mobile and fixed devices.
  Tel Aviv-based Taranis (taranis.ag) is a software platform
  that uses aerial imagery, satellite imagery, field sensors,
  weather forecasts, and data from its field scouting application
  to predict and prevent crop disease and pest losses. Founded in
  2014, Taranis monitors more than 20 million acres around the
  globe, half of which are in the U.S.

Australia

L

iving in one of the world’s driest regions, Australians have
learned how to adapt their production practices to get the
most out of the land, says Nicola Watkinson.
“Innovation through technology has been key to establishing
Australia’s place as a global player and exporter of food and
agriculture commodities and products,” says Watkinson, who
is the senior trade and investment coordinator for Australia.
The country’s ag tech ecosystem made great strides in 2017.
Not only did Australia establish a Cooperative Research
Centre for digital technology in the food industry and
complete a project designed to facilitate digital technology in

Bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com |August 2019

Continued

agriculture, but also it successfully graduated its first class from

its ag tech accelerator and preaccelerator cohorts.

Below are three start-ups emerging from Australia.

• AgDNA (agdna.com) is a farm management software plat-
  form that combines artificial intelligence with the internet of
  things to help producers increase yield, reduce input costs, and
  maximize profitability on every acre.


• AgriDigital (agridigital.io) develops software solutions to
  bring trust and transparency to the global ag supply chain. In
  2016, the start-up conducted the world’s first settlement of an
  ag commodity on a blockchain between a farmer and a buyer.


• SwarmFarm Robotics (swarmfarm.com) is not building a
  driverless tractor but, rather, believes robots are what should
  come next. It is delivering a platform of new farming methods
  and techniques that are only possible on board a robot.

united kingdom

W

hile the United Kingdom is known for its animal science,

it has also proven its ability to develop and bring new

animal products and solutions to market. Leading animal

health companies like Bayer, Elanco, and Zoetis have opera-

tions in the country.

“In this particular space, where technologies are advanc-

ing rapidly, we believe the need for complementary strategic

partnerships is essential,” says Ned Flaxman, director, Centre

for Digital Innovation, Zoetis. “Through our Alliances group,

we work to establish appropriate university and industry col-

laborations that will enable our specialists to develop the most

comprehensive and valued digital solutions for animals.”

For example, Zoetis is collaborating with Hasbro Limited,

Innovent UK Limited, Newcastle University, and RAFT

Solutions Ltd to develop and validate technology that auto-

matically monitors performance and behavior in growing pigs.

Movement of pigs, both individually and in groups, is captured

and analyzed using cameras and computer vision and learning

techniques to provide information about pig performance,

behavior, and group dynamics to improve the health and

welfare of pigs and ultimately increase farm efficiency.

t e c h n o l o g y

Australia fl ag United Kingdom fl ag