Brash Ag

What if the biggest opportunity in precision spraying isn't a new sprayer at all? This week Kit and Ray are joined by Jamie Hutchinson, founder and CEO of Cordon Technologies. Jamie's career has taken him from venture capital to founding a successful wine retailer, running a regenerative vineyard in France, and now developing one of the most interesting spraying technologies to emerge in recent ye...

Are start-ups changing agriculture for the better? Has Clarkson's Farm improved the public's understanding of ag-tech? Can robots stay lightweight as they scale? And is AI making engineers better—or just lazier? This week Kit and Ray are back in their respective studios to take a break from adventures at shows and interviews to talk about some topics that have been playing on their minds. This wee...

Is 6 cylinders still better than 4? Have Smith Robotics really got a Balespike product on their hands? Is the UK back on track when it comes to funding for agri-tech? This week Kit and Ray bring you Chapter 2 of their expedition to Cereals 2026 with five more interviews from around the show. They catch up with: Martin Hamer and Phil Mattey of Fendt, discussing the latest engine developments in the...

Is there really a market for a €90000 blackgrass detecting drone? Are German manufacturers taking the UK market seriously? Is a farmer built RTK network a UK agritech (secret) success story? Is there really a market for a €90,000 blackgrass-detecting drone? Are German manufacturers taking the UK market seriously? Is a farmer-built RTK network one of British agtech's best-kept success stories? This...

Was the Cotswold Brash kind to the co-hosts? Were they knee deep in mud or was the show a roaring success? What new tech is worth keeping an eye out for? This week Kit and Ray travel to Clarkson's Diddly Squat farm and Cereals 2026. They catch up with number 1 super fan, Kieran Walsh as he kindly hosts them on Grounded Agvice Ltd Stand. The pair give their thoughts on the first day of the show and...

Can robots really farm better than humans? Where have machines got an edge? Does the real value come from humans and machines working in harmony? This week Ray and Kit catch up again with Jonathan Trotter from Agrii. Jonathan tells the co-hosts about the exciting ongoing trial of promising new agritech at the Revesby Estate in Lincolnshire. The estate land (and air) has played host to the likes of...

Can farmers really justify investing $1million in a new machine? How can AI be leveraged to solve physical problems in ag? Why did Nvidia, one of the world's most valuable companies, invest in laser weeding agtech? This week Kit and Ray are joined by a pioneer, innovator and entrepreneur Paul Mikesell CEO of Carbon Robotics (arguably the brightest agtech company right now!). Paul has a long career...

Where do VCs get the money from? Is the power-law dead for farm tech funding? What is a $100 million chicken? This week Kit and Ray are joined by General Partner of Farmhand Ventures and member of the Agricultural Autonomy Institute steering group, Connie Bowen. Connie brings her candid approach and brash insights to bear on the Brash Ag podcast. With a background in engineering and an impressive...

How do agronomy businesses stay at the forefront of technology development? What happens at the interface of robotics and farming? How can farming experience help to mould and shape new technologies? This week Ray and Kit speak to Jonanthan Trotter, technology trials manager at agronomy company Agrii. Jonathan's career perfectly intersects cutting edge tech and farming, providing a vital horizon s...

How did charcoal support entire ancient civilisations? What is biochar and can it support and improve today's soils and modern farming techniques? This week Ray and Kit talk to farmer turned charcoal maker and now Nuffield Scholar, Luke Breedon. Luke runs the successful, sustainable charcoal business Slatehill Charcoal. While Luke didn’t come from a farming background, he did have a passion for wo...

Is it unusual to see robots working in a field? Do ag robots have to look “roboty”? Do Dutch farmers embrace technology more than the rest of the world? What special cafes has Jonthan been to recently? This week Kit and Ray catch up with friend of the pod and former guest, Jonathan Gill. Jonathan is now Head of Field Operations at Earth Rover. After a recent trip to Holland to visit a customer he...

How do you stand out in a big organisation like JCB? How do you transition from a technical role to management? In light of Kit taking over as President of Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE) the Ray and Kit welcome Charlie Nicklin CEO of IAgrE on to the podcast. Charlie shares his career story from growing up on a farm to ultimately being Chief engineer on some of JCBs flagship products...

What are the biggest strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing agri-tech in the USA? Is the US ahead of the rest of the world and what could the UK agri-tech sector learn from the USA? This week Kit says farewell (for now at least) to the United States of America and Mississippi State University and the Agricultural Autonomy Institute that has been his home for the last 6 months. To...

Who will win in the Bobcat vs Caterpillar patent showdown? Is this the end for Monarch tractors? Is Tafe at the top of its game? Has AI ruined Linkedin content? This week Ray and Kit catch up to talk about the sad demise of the struggling pioneering tractor brand Monarch. With nearly a quarter of a billion dollars invested, how did the firm run out of runway before taking off? Can Caterpillar and...

Why was the future of the tractor anything but secure at the start of the 20th Century? Why were tractors in the early 1900s so dangerous? How did one man transform farm mechanisation forever? With over half a million tractors sold, the TE 20 or “Little Grey Fergie” is an iconic piece of classic machinery but the real innovation was the patented “Ferguson System” that it sported. With the Patent f...

Can vertical farming become a viable option for supplying fresh produce during a crisis? How do the markets for vertically farmed produce change between cultures? What does the future look like for vertical farming? This week Kit and Ray speak to farmer, entrepreneur and Nuffield Scholar Will Brown. Will explains his background in agriculture, growing up on a tenanted farm in Oxfordshire and how h...

How did pioneering agtech manufacturer Niao take a need for a demo day and end up launching a global accelerator for farm robotics? How has a rebrand from FIRA to Gofar opened up new opportunities to expand the organisation? This week Ray and Kit speak to Maialen Cazenave Co-Director at the Gofar - Global Organisation for Agricultural Robotics. Maialen explains her background and how she found her...

Is it the end of the road for Agrointelli and their Robotti autonomous gantry platform? In the spirit of “The Rest is Politics”, Kit and Ray take to the airwaves to discuss the breaking news of Agrointelli’s bankruptcy. While the company is currently still producing robots and fulfilling orders their liquidity challenges could mean the end of the line for the company founded in 2015 to commerciali...

Can a war lead to more investment in vertical farming? How can a tractor help you iron your trousers? What new tech can farmers buy with the latest grant funding in the UK? This Week Ray and Kit catch up for a much overdue news feed episode. With recent developments in the Middle East and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz all but ceased the UAE has experienced food supply disruptions. The co-h...

How do you sell a brand new concept to some of the sharpest farmers and business people in Australia? What is the killer sales strategy? Is autonomy a barrier to adoption or do farmers need to think about things at a system level? This week Kit and Ray are joined by Sam Scales, product specialist at Landpower in Australia,. Sam is pioneering the sale of Agxeed robots in Australia. Sam has a fascin...

How much horse power is too much for a stock tractor? 300hp? 500? How about 5000hp? Does subscription free AI exist? and why are small bales King in the USA? This week Kit brings us four of his top picks from the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville Kentucky. But before we hear about the latest Agritech Kit shares his experience from the Championship Tractor pull and some of the ear splittin...

Could farm machinery be the new frontline for the war on cyber crime? How will cyber threats shape the future of autonomy on farms and what can farmers and engineers do to protect themselves and each other? In this episode Kit and Ray are joined by Ezekiel (Zeke) McReynolds to talk all things Cyber security and agritech. With a fascinating background that spans agricultural engineering and militar...

How did the Mississippi delta change the world of music, aviation and agriculture? This week Ray and Kit are joined by Maddison Dixon, Associate director at Agricultural Autonomy Institute at Mississippi State University. Maddison explains how growing up watching crop dusters perform feats of daring in the Mississippi delta ignited a passion for aviation and agriculture. The co-hosts also get fasc...

In this second episode from Ray's adventure to LAMMA Show 2026. Ray brings another three of his top picks from his day. Did Ray manage to complete his side quest? We find out when we hear from: Jeremy Clark at Smaxtec, the smart bolas company that promises to turn biometric data into actionable insights using the power of AI and machine learning. Jermey explains the benefits of being able to spot...

LAMMA Show Special Part 1. This week Ray brings three of his top picks from his recent trip to LAMMA 2026 show at the NEC. Ray spent a day at the show and brings the Brash Ag listeners his highlights of the tech and innovations that were on display, we hear from: Eoin Clarke, Marketing Executive from McHale tells us about the Terradrive driven axle on the Fusion balers wrappers. Eoin tells us abou...