Agtonomy Secures Funding for Physical AI Adoption
Ag software and services company Agtonomy has secured $18 million series B funding to accelerate physical AI adoption in agriculture and other off-road industries.
This investment was led by DBL Partners, a pioneering double bottom line venture capital firm renowned for early investments in Tesla, SpaceX, and Farmers Business Network, with participation from new investor Nuveen, one of the world’s largest owners and operators of agricultural land—managing over 2 million acres globally. Existing investors Autotech, Allison Transmission, Rethink Food, and Black Forest Ventures also participated in the round.
“Agtonomy is at an exciting inflection point as we expand our commercial footprint and bring physical AI into everyday field operations,” said Tim Bucher, founder and CEO of Agtonomy.
The new capital will be used to advance Agtonomy’s physical AI platform, expand equipment integrations with OEM partners, and scale commercial deployments across agriculture and adjacent off-road industries with the goal of helping operators cut labor costs and improve safety and sustainability in orchards, vineyards, fields, and managed green spaces.
“DBL seeks out mission-driven, execution-orientated companies that not only disrupt their industries, but also deliver real-world benefits,” said Jake Harris of DBL Partners, who is joining Agtonomy’s Board. “Agtonomy fits squarely into the legacy of DBL’s portfolio by ushering in the next wave of highly-scalable, customer-centric physical AI in a way that delivers tangible performance gains and cost-savings, while setting a new standard for sustainability and profitability in food production and off-road industries worldwide.”
DWFI Podcast 46 – Nebraska Know Your Well Youth Program
This episode of the Water for Food Podcast explores a unique initiative that puts water quality testing directly into the hands of high school students across Nebraska. Sara Brock-Contreras, a PhD student advised by Dr. Dan Snow, joins us to discuss her work on the Know Your Well program — an innovative educational and participatory science effort that equips students with the tools, training, and confidence to test domestic wells in their communities.
Through hands-on learning, students gain a deeper understanding of water quality, local geology, and science communication while generating real data about local water quality. Sara shares how this interdisciplinary program is inspiring and engaging the next generation of water leaders.
Learn more about the UNL Nebraska Water Center’s Know Your Well program at https://knowyourwell.unl.edu/.
Listen here or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform:
DWFI podcast episode 46 26:31
The Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) at the University of Nebraska was founded with the mission to have a lasting and significant impact on achieving more food security with less pressure on scarce water resources by conducting scientific and policy research, using the research results to inform policy makers, and sharing knowledge through education and communication.
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Industry Ag News 10/24
ZimmCast 752 – Farm Journal Ad Insights
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
In this episode you’ll learn all about Farm Journal’s new Ad Insight tool which is new to the agrimarketing industry. It’s a first for a digital advertising analytics solution. Talking with me is Prescott Shibles, Farm Journal CEO.
Farm Journal has launched a new ad insights tool, which is the agriculture industry’s first universal digital advertising analytics solution designed specifically for agrimarketers who want to measure, optimize and prove the impact of every digital dollar.
As digital budgets grow and audience attention fragments across channels, agrimarketers need more than siloed reports. They need a single view of what is working and what is not working. Farm Journal’s ad insights tool delivers that clarity, providing a unified, real-time analytics resource that connects all major platforms and ad formats in one place.
“In today’s digital landscape, agrimarketers need more than just data, they need insight, context and confidence,” said Prescott Shibles, Farm Journal CEO. “This ad insights tool delivers measurable value, transparency and performance benchmarks in ways the industry has never had before.”
Listen to the episode here:
ZimmCast 752 - Farm Journal Ad Insights (12:25)
That’s the ZimmCast for now. If you have some exciting news in the agrimarketing world, feel free to contact me for the next episode. Just email Chuck at chuck@zimmcomm.biz.
We hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
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Battle Over Beef
There’s been a lot of back and forth about beef this week between the Trump administration and the U.S. beef cattle industry after President Trump suggested importing beef from Argentina to address high prices. “We would buy some beef from Argentina. If we do that, that will bring our beef prices down,” Trump said to reporters on Sunday.
“The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and its members cannot stand behind the President while he undercuts the future of family farmers and ranchers by importing Argentinian beef in an attempt to influence prices,” said NCBA CEO Colin Woodall. “If President Trump is truly an ally of America’s cattle producers, we call on him to abandon this effort to manipulate markets and focus instead on the promised New World Screwworm facilities in Texas; making additional investments that protect the domestic cattle herd from foreign animal diseases such as FMD; and addressing regulatory burdens, such as delisting of the gray wolf and addressing the scourge of black vultures.”
In response, the Trump administration released a plan to strengthen the American beef industry. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler announced a suite of actions, including increased grazing access, cutting inspection costs, and growing markets.
“USDA will immediately expedite deregulatory reforms, boost processing capacity, including getting more locally raised beef into schools, and working across the government to fix longstanding common-sense barriers for ranchers like outdated grazing restrictions,” said Rollins.
The plan also includes enforcement of the voluntary ‘Product of USA’ rule that goes into effect next year ensuring that only products that have been born, raised, and slaughtered in the United States will be eligible to make U.S.-origin labeling claims.
The plan was released in the wake of remarks President Trump made on Truth Social Wednesday. “The Cattle Ranchers, who I love, don’t understand that the only reason they are doing so well, for the first time in decades, is because I put Tariffs on cattle coming into the United States, including a 50% Tariff on Brazil… If it weren’t for me, they would be doing just as they’ve done for the past 20 years — Terrible! It would be nice if they would understand that, but they also have to get their prices down, because the consumer is a very big factor in my thinking, also!”
In a Fox Business interview on Thursday, Rollins discussed the plan, stressed President Trump’s love and respect for farmers and ranchers, and downplayed the significance of the Argentina beef deal, which expands Argentina’s low-tariff beef import quota to 80,000 metric tons annually from the previous limit of 20,000 metric tons.
“Currently, Americans consume 12 million metric tons of beef, 10 million we produce in this country, 2 million we import,” said Rollins. “The Argentinian piece is only about currently 20,000 under a tariff quota… out of 12 million, that would be 20,000 every quarter. This is not a massive influx in the millions of tons, I think, that some have thought of beef from Argentina.”
Listen to Rollins’ comments on Fox here:
Rollins remarks on Fox Business 10/23/25 4:12
Precision Ag News 10/22
MyLand and Texas A&M Expand Soil Health Research
Soil health innovator MyLand and Texas A&M AgriLife Research are expanding their collaboration designed to accelerate the adoption of sustainable soil practices across Texas and beyond. The new phase will focus research in Texas on microalgae’s impact on nutrient density, water efficiency, citrus greening, and sustainable farming practices
This milestone builds on the success of the collaboration, which began in 2023. Over the past two years, MyLand and AgriLife Research have expanded soil research and data collection across 12,000 acres in Texas, representing multiple soil types, crops, and regions. Building on this momentum, the program’s microalgae expansion will add 10,000 more acres, deepen collaborative research, and explore new applications of MyLand’s microalgae-based Soil as a Service™ to drive agricultural success and sustainability. This expansion underscores the growing value of public-private collaboration in advancing economically resilient agriculture.
The expanded research program includes studies such as nutrient density of food, water use efficiency, soil salinity, improving groves impacted by citrus greening, and studying microalgae’s impact on reduced water and inputs while maintaining turf quality for sports fields and golf courses.
“Our collaboration with MyLand brings research out of the lab and into farmers’ fields, where results truly matter” said Dr. G. Cliff Lamb, Director of Texas A&M AgriLife Research. “It’s partnerships like this that show how soil health isn’t just about crops – it’s about people, communities, and the future of Texas agriculture.”
With continued collaboration, MyLand and AgriLife Research are cultivating a future where healthy soils mean healthier farms, stronger food systems, and more resilient ecosystems.
Traction Ag Appoints Chief Operating Officer
Cloud-based farm accounting software company Traction Ag has appointed Hannah Parsons as Chief Operating Officer.
Parsons is an experienced operator known for building structure around innovation and aligning vision, people, and process to deliver results. At Barn Owl Technologies, she established the systems, teams, and culture that enabled the company’s evolution from an early-stage e-commerce startup to a respected name in agricultural technology through product development and government-backed research initiatives.
As COO, Parsons will lead Traction Ag’s day-to-day operations, ensuring the company’s systems, teams, and customer experience scale in step with its growth. Her focus will be on translating strategic goals into clear execution across growth, customer success and operations. The appointment comes at a pivotal moment as more farms seek integrated financial platforms to manage increasingly complex operations and data-driven decisions.
Animal Ag News 10/20