Startups in the Soil - Why AgTech Is Booming

AgTech Meets Reality: What Actually Works on the Farm

In this episode of Between the Rows, Itai Kanot sits down with Walt Duflock, Senior Vice President of Innovation at Western Growers. Walt works at the intersection of growers, automation, and agtech — helping bridge the gap between innovation and real-world farming. Together, they explore what’s actually driving decisions on the farm today, from labor and water challenges to the growing pressure to adopt new technologies. The conversation dives into the current state of the agtech ecosystem, including the sharp drop in investment from $53B in 2021 to around $10B in 2025, and what that reset means for startups, investors, and growers alike. They also unpack why so many technologies struggle to scale, what it really takes to earn grower trust, and how biology, weather, and in-season decision-making continue to challenge even the most advanced solutions. This is a grounded look at where agtech stands today — and what it will take to build solutions that truly work in the field.

Beekeeping Under Pressure

In this episode of Between the Rows, I sit down with Chris Hiatt—one of the most prominent commercial beekeepers in the U.S. and former President of the American Honey Producers Association—for a candid conversation on the realities of modern beekeeping. Recorded at the tail end of almond pollination season in California, this discussion goes beyond the surface. We talk about what actually happened this season, how weather timing impacted bloom and bee activity, and what growers and beekeepers experienced on the ground. Chris brings a rare perspective—running a large-scale beekeeping operation across multiple states while also managing almond orchards—giving him insight from both sides of the pollination equation.   From there, we dig into the bigger questions facing the industry today: * Why colonies are weaker than they used to be * The real cost of pollination and rising operational risk * Colony losses and what’s driving them * The role of nutrition, forage, and changing environments * The growing disconnect between perception and reality in beekeeping This is not a theoretical conversation—it’s a grounded, field-level look at what it takes to run bees at scale today, and where the industry may be heading next. If you care about agriculture, pollination, or the future of food systems, this episode gives you a direct window into one of the most critical—and challenged—parts of the ecosystem.

Policy, Bees, and Power

California’s agriculture feeds the nation — but it’s also facing some of its toughest challenges yet. In this thought-provoking episode, BeeHero Co-Founder and CGO Itai Kanot sits down with Secretary Karen Ross, who has led the California Department of Food and Agriculture since 2011, to discuss the intersection of policy, pollination, and progress. From her upbringing on a Nebraska family farm to shaping the future of the world’s fifth-largest economy, Secretary Ross shares an insider’s view of: * The realities behind water scarcity, labor costs, and market pressures * How policy decisions ripple through California’s fields and rural communities * Why pollinators and biodiversity are at the heart of sustainable farming * What the next decade of California agriculture could look like amid climate change and innovation The episode closes with a symbolic taste of collaboration — California apples and Israeli honey from Itai’s family apiary — honoring both tradition and global connection. 💡 A conversation about stewardship, innovation, and the power behind the policies that shape our food future.

Pollination Around the World: Beekeeping in Australia

AHBIC CEO and AgriFutures Deputy Chair Danny Le Feuvre joins me to compare the realities of beekeeping in Australia and the U.S. We trace Danny’s path from commercial beekeeper to industry leader, then dig into this season’s bee shortage for almonds—what drove it, how better grower–beekeeper contracting and communication can help, and what longer-term fixes look like. We unpack Australia’s varroa journey and the shift to transition-to-management, plus what’s next for biosecurity on the ground. Danny shares a clear-eyed view of honey prices and margins, and we tour pollination across almonds, avocados, macadamias, and canola, including how competition for hives is changing the calendar. Along the way, we talk adoption of innovation in Aussie ag and the biggest practice differences between Australia and the U.S.—from scale to chemistry to data.

Startups in the Soil - Why AgTech Is Booming

What does it really take to build an agtech company that scales — and actually works for growers? In this episode of Between the Rows, Itai Kanot sits down with Iftach Birger, CEO and Co-Founder of Fieldin, to talk about the journey from growing up on a farm in Israel to leading one of the most widely deployed smart-farming platforms in the world. They dig into what makes agtech different, how trust is built in the field, and what the future of a fully digitized farm might look like. Plus: advice for founders, overlooked crops, and a rapid-fire round you don’t want to miss.