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Agri Business Review: Specials Magazine
Technology is now an integral part of modern agriculture. Farmers are under increasing pressure to maximize yields, conserve resources, and navigate the uncertainties of climate change.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is addressing these challenges and revolutionizing agriculture by providing precise solutions that optimize crop management, improve resource efficiency, and help farmers adapt to climate variability, ultimately fostering more sustainable and resilient farming practices.
Ecoation, a trailblazing company, is at the forefront of this revolution. By combining AI with Intelligence Augmentation (IA), Ecoation empowers growers to make smarter decisions and achieve precision farm management. This synergy between cutting-edge technology and agricultural expertise is reshaping how farming is approached and optimized.
Founded by agricultural visionary Dr. Saber Miresmailli, Ecoation views AI not as a replacement for human expertise but as a powerful ally. The company blends AI with IA to amplify growers’ knowledge and intuition, recognizing that agriculture is as much an art as it is a science. While many agricultural technologies prioritize automation, Ecoation focuses on empowering growers, ensuring that human insight remains central to decision-making.
Ecoation’s IPM and Yield Forecasting platform exemplifies this philosophy. As a leading greenhouse forecasting tool, it distils vast amounts of data into actionable insights, providing growers with enhanced operational visibility. By assisting decision-making and scaling success, Ecoation’s platform enables farmers to adapt, thrive, and lead in a rapidly changing agricultural landscape.
The Power of AI and IA in Agriculture
Ecoation’s technology operates at the critical intersection of data and decision-making. At the heart of its platform is an AI-powered brain that revolutionizes crop monitoring by continuously collecting and analyzing real-time data. Unlike traditional methods—such as paper-based manual inspections, generalized weather data, and time-intensive soil testing—this advanced system provides growers with precise insights into environmental conditions, plant health, and early signs of stress. By identifying potential issues like pests, diseases, or nutrient imbalances before they escalate, AI-driven solutions enable proactive intervention, enhancing both productivity and sustainability. Paired with Intelligent Augmentation, these technologies represent the future of farming, transforming agriculture into a data-driven, efficient, and resilient industry.
But what makes Ecoation’s system unique is the integration of IA. While AI excels at identifying patterns and crunching vast amounts of data, it is humans who bring judgment and creative problem-solving to the table. Ecoation’s system acts as a bridge between AI’s analytical power and human expertise, offering actionable insights while ensuring growers remain in control.
Tucked in the heart of Leamington — the tomato capital of Canada — rests high-tech greenhouses stretched across thousands of acres, bursting with leafy greens, ripe tomatoes and sweet strawberries. Such bountiful harvest, season after season, owes a great deal to the purpose-built solutions offered by Meteor Systems. As a one-stop supplier of growing systems for greenhouse farming, the company seamlessly blends innovation with nature to support the growth of healthy, high-yield crops. Meteor Systems began its journey in the Netherlands — a country synonymous with horticulture — by designing steel gutters for hydroponic farming. In three decades, this family business transformed into a global leader in high-tech growing systems across North America, China and Mexico. Designed around the principles of sustainability, userfriendliness, minimizing labor costs and low physical effort, the company's products are designed to suit the distinct requirements of growers across various horticulture sectors. “Every grower has a unique vision for their crops, and we’re here to bring that vision to life,” says Ryan Bento, Head of Sales, North America. “Wherever our clients choose to grow, we design and manufacture personalized systems fit for different environments.” Harvesting Innovation Meteor Systems provides a comprehensive range of greenhouse equipment, from support and suspension systems to vertical growing racks and fruit covers — all designed to ensure optimal growth while minimizing water and fertilizer use. They also provide outdoor farming solutions, including tunnels and other growing systems. Through their extensive product catalog, diverse services and decades of industry experience, the company effectively identifies and addresses market gaps. For instance, when tomato production struggled due to the brown rugose virus, farmers started using stronger, chemically charged cleaning agents to keep crops safe. To withstand these aggressive chemicals, farmers turned to Meteor Systems to provide stronger gutters. Meteor Systems responded with MS150 (Horti-Control), a gutter coating that is five times thicker and stronger than the market standards with a 10 year warranty. This reflects the company’s confidence in its products and commitment to client satisfaction.
Farmers Edge is a prime example of digital innovation transforming the agricultural landscape. It offers cuttingedge solutions that empower agribusinesses, farmers, and crop insurers worldwide. Backed by Fairfax Financial, the company operates globally, extending its services across North America, Brazil, and India. This presence in three international markets allows for a global perspective while maintaining a targeted, region-specific approach to meet the unique needs of each partner. “At Farmers Edge, we leverage our technological expertise and experience to provide cost-effective, ready-to-deploy systems and innovations, supporting businesses across the vast agricultural ecosystem,” says Vibhore Arora, CEO of Farmers Edge. With nearly two decades of expertise and a robust portfolio of research and development (R&D), Farmers Edge is dedicated to driving meaningful change across the industry. This includes a comprehensive suite of solutions spanning farm productivity, sustainability, risk management, cost reduction, and sales enablement. These innovations are crucial for modern agriculture to meet the higher demands for efficiency and environmental responsibility. To enhance sustainability, Farmers Edge helps organizations measure, monitor, and verify carbon intensity scores of farming practices, supporting sustainable food and fuel production. It also utilizes field-level data and advanced models to break down data silos and enhance supply chain alignment, ensuring traceability from farm to market. By measuring these sustainability initiatives, the company enhances its supply chain transparency and simplifies input management. This strategy enables the farms to operate more precisely, fostering long-term productivity improvements, including higher crop yields. With access to cutting-edge technologies like virtual soil testing, carbon intensity (CI) scoring, digital crop management tools, and as-applied maps, businesses can streamline processes and make informed decisions that drive growth. Farmers Edge leverages historical data analytics and targeted insights to proactively identify and mitigate agricultural challenges, recognizing that these businesses must also be ready for any potential risks. It also developed cutting-edge risk management tools and intelligent process automation to support critical organizational functions like underwriting, claims processing, regulatory reporting, and developing advanced policy solutions.
CXO INSIGHTS
Harnessing the Power for Analytics for Agriculture - Predictive Models
Caroline Morissette, Digital Transformation, DataGeek and Business Change Leader, McCain Foods and Soma Muruganandam, Director Global Agriculture Data & Analytics, McCain Foods
Six Sigmas Impact on the Agriculture Industry
Robert King, Executive Vice President, Crop Protection, Corteva Agriscience
Best Practices in Agriculture
Lester Smith, Horticulture Manager at CEPRA Landscape
Agriculture Sustainability
Dave Hyde, Agriculture Sustainability Manager, JR Simplot Global Food Group
Beyond 'Just' Carbon
Laura Kowalski, Head of Global Sustainability and Marketing, Primient
Driving Digital Innovation in Canadian AgTech
Jenna (Munro) Milano, Senior Director, Digital Technology
Empowering Change: The Impact of Sustainable Procurement Practices
Patrice Rodriguez, MBA, Procurement Category Manager, Taylor Farms
IN FOCUS
How AgTech Developments Boost Innovations
The agricultural sector is undergoing a remarkable transformation, driven by advancements in agricultural technology (AgTech) that reshape traditional farming practices. These innovations address pressing challenges such as food security, resource scarcity, and environmental sustainability.
Overcoming Obstacles in AgTech Innovation
Agtech faces challenges, but improving data management and connectivity can support farmers and enhance global food security.
EDITORIAL
The Future of Farming: Canada’s Agtech Boom
The Canadian Agtech market is evolving rapidly, driven by climate change, labor shortages, sustainability demands and digital transformation. With unpredictable weather patterns and soil degradation posing risks to crop yields, precision agriculture solutions—such as AI-driven climate adaptation tools and smart irrigation systems—are becoming increasingly essential. Labor shortages are accelerating the demand for automation and robotics, with autonomous tractors, drones and AI-powered monitoring systems helping to bridge workforce gaps. At the same time, government initiatives like Canada’s Agricultural Clean Technology Program are driving innovation through funding and incentives, promoting the development of eco-friendly farming practices. Consumer demand for sustainable and traceable food is also reshaping the industry, pushing the adoption of blockchain-powered supply chains and IoT-enabled farm monitoring. However, high initial costs and limited rural connectivity present challenges, particularly for small and mid-sized farms. To address this, Agtech-as-a-Service (AaaS) models and financing programs are making advanced technologies more accessible. In addition, collaboration between the government and the private sector is driving R&D, reinforcing automation and sustainable agriculture as the future of farming. Advancements in 5G, carbon-negative farming and lab-grown food will further transform the industry. With growing investment and technological advancements, Agtech is set to become a cornerstone of Canada’s agricultural future, ensuring food security, efficiency and sustainability for years to come. In this edition of Agri Business Review Canada, we spotlight Ecoation, founded by Saber Miresmailli, that combines AI-powered tools and sensors to help farmers proactively address crop issues, reduce pesticide use and promote sustainable agriculture. The edition also features insights from industry leaders such as Jeremy Groeteke, Global Head of IT & Digital Strategy at Syngenta Group, and Camille Binachon, Product Manager at Lallemand. They share their perspectives on current opportunities and future prospects in Agtech, offering valuable insights to help you make informed, data-driven business decisions.
