Ag Uncensored with Nathan Faleide

This week is little different and not my normal talk, but please read it out and heck watch/listen to the video below or within all major podcast places as tradition! You'll get it I feel, plus it's easier to do it this way. I'm reformatting my podcasts and newsletter...again... Hang with me, it's an evolution!

Robots and automation are growing and growing in Ag. I saw some of that this last week and I'll say I'm a little more optimistic in their abilities. At the same time, mixed with AI there are some dire realities to think through as well. More on this to say the least... 

We've created so many things that are specific to Ag, but at the same time it uses similar processes to the largest tech companies out there that most use. Should we be building things in our own realm as much or should we use what they have and build with it? More on this. 

In times of uncertainty, sometimes the best thing one can do is call someone up and just talk and figure out a way to help each other. That's what AgTech needs to do right now and it works. I've experienced it. So, that's what I'm talking about this week.

While there are countless options and solutions out there that one can use on a farm, some just don't. Some things just don't work well together either or in certain areas due to the types of crops and even lay of the land. I discuss more on this. 

I talk about something Elon came up with (I think) called the Idiot Index. It's the cost the make a product divided by the cost of the raw materials to make it. Basically the higher the ratio the more opportunity exists for value to shift things. AgTech is high right now, but it's changing too. More on that here.

It's pretty much in the title, but this is one of the big AgTech shows of the year and it's where I known the most people. Here is my highlights and thoughts from the show. 

In this episode, I finally lay out what I’ve been hinting at—a new direction built from something very real. After 30 years in AgTech, growing up inside it, building it, watching where it works and where it fails, I’ve decided to take a copy of our Satshot GIS engine and turn it into something new. Something open. Something others can build on. I’m calling it OpenFMIS. An open-core geospatial fram...

We can talk and talk about all the great and weird things AI can do in Agriculture and yes it's real and not going away, but there is also a lot more to it then just what it is capable of doing. We have to trust it and feel comfortable using it much like the internet itself. There is more emotion tied to it though than I think most think. That's what I'm talking about in this episode.

We often all have great ideas to solve big problems and Ag in no different. When we bridge tech in the mix it gets fun as you can fake it make it sort of a lot easier than say making a tractor. Well, let's talk about it then...

The title says most of it, but more or less farming is about the senses and it doesn't make sense to most farmers using software the way it's been built. Maybe we need to talk to it, get it to react to the way Ag thinks and acts. Maybe GenAI is the answer. Anyway, more on that here. 

There’s this constant tension building between the people who use AgTech stuff and the people who build it. Farmers versus programmers. Agronomists versus developers. Call it what you want—but it’s everywhere now, and it’s getting worse. I dive into that and a little more in this episode. 

In this episode, I talk through the chaos and realities of AgTech during the busy season and where all the flashy features and promises don’t mean a thing if the tools don’t actually work when farmers need them most. I dig into why data resolution often gets oversold, especially when your equipment can’t even apply changes at that scale, and how we keep falling into the trap of complexity over pra...

This week I talk through a write up Ben Voss did about what's going on with tech entrenched in OEM Ag Machinery and how that relates to the AgTech software world with FMIS. Also, another pickup ride which I think I'm staying with. Enjoy!

Alright, so this one’s a bit of a mobile ramble—I’m in the pickup, no dogs, just rolling through the wind and rain, thinking out loud about how tech is driving equipment decisions more than the machines themselves. I talk about how OEMs are fumbling or thriving based on how seamless their tech works, and how farmers—especially bigger ones—are buying based on that. But I also dig into why smaller f...

Well some big government officials and politicians are in ND to talk about Ag. I talk about this on a drive with my dogs in the country side where they also will be visiting nearby my home at the Grand Farm an AgTech testing farm and facility. I get into my thoughts on how the USDA can do better with digital data and processes. There is a lot to talk about and I hope the people around them today a...

In this episode, I went off on kind of a fun tangent—comparing the Masters golf tournament to AgTech and farming. It might sound like a stretch, but hear me out. Golf is this game where most people just want to play and enjoy it, not win a championship. Same goes for most farmers. They’re not trying to be the top yield winner, they’re just trying to make things work with the tools they’ve got. I t...

We have to be reminded sometimes of how cruel business can be and who are the ones that try and make the big moves over control towards those that create. It's not just David vs Goliath, it's morality vs greed often. The fear that controls this narrative is big and it's used to keep people in place where they want. AgTech needs to get out of this rut and start making what is needed for the industr...

While there are plenty of great things being built in AgTech, we are also in a downsizing phase and a reset. With that comes likely an inbound of new consultants coming into play while some try and find new career paths. I talk more on that and how some could navigate that while trying to make sure we understand all the nuance around it all.

In this little diddy I reflect upon my visits to the World Agri-Tech Conference in San Fran. I walk through my experience, the general conference, and other thoughts and trends (along with a few rumors) from my visit. Enjoy Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Conference Overview 06:23 Reflections on World Agri-Tech Conference 12:15 The State of Ag Tech Investment 18:51 Challenges for New Biologicals 2...

Here is some of my thoughts around the Commodity Classic in Denver, discussing the current state of agriculture, market sentiments, and the evolving landscape of Ag Tech. I talk about the uncertainty in the market, the importance of sustainability, and the role of precision agriculture. I get into the potential of biological products, the need for transparency in data, and the collaboration requir...

This one is about the exact title which references another video by Barbara Corcoran of Shark Tank around a statement she made about that she mainly invests in poorer founders than rich ones. I talk about how this connects to Ag and the tech world within it.

I discuss the current state of Ag Tech adoption, focusing on the potential role of small farms, the challenges faced in data utilization, and the resistance from farmers towards new technologies. I get into the need for innovative solutions that prioritize farmer control and ownership of data, while also addressing the global landscape of agricultural technology. The conversation highlights the co...

In this episode of Ag Uncensored, I discuss the evolving landscape of agriculture, emphasizing the importance of small farms in the Agtech sector. I explore the demographic shifts in farming, the challenges faced by commodity farming, and the opportunities for small farms to thrive through specialty crops and technology. What we need to see is a more integrated approach between farmers and consume...

In this episode, I sat down with Paul Miller and Bill Northcott, the innovative minds behind Agrible, to dive into their journey from agricultural roots to creating a groundbreaking AgTech company. We kicked things off by exploring how they got started and the unique challenges they faced in monetizing their technology—a tricky balance of understanding both the business and farming worlds. One maj...