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5 Ag Trends We’re Watching in 2025

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Between a new presidential administration, shifting economic pressures, and a rapidly changing climate, 2025 is set to be a pivotal year for the entire ag industry. 

But which twists and turns are worth keeping an eye on? Here are five trends we’re watching in 2025 and how they’re poised to shape the industry’s future.

1. Farmers Will Focus Narrowly on ROI

2024 was riddled with challenges for farmers: weak commodity prices, rising input costs, and global trade uncertainty. As a result, farmers have been extra careful to ensure that every dollar spent translates into measurable returns.

We expect this trend to continue in 2025. More specifically, an ROI-focused mindset will likely spur more adoption of…

  • Crop rotation and cover cropping. These practices improve soil health and reduce the need for costly inputs, leading to higher yields and better profitability over time.
  • Farm decisioning and analytics platforms. These tools use farm data to help farmers optimize every decision, from planting to irrigation.
  • Alternative fertilizers. While some options (like biofertilizers) cost more up front, they can support the soil health needed to maintain yields – boosting ROI long term.
  • Climate-smart farming practices. Techniques like precision agriculture and water conservation reduce waste and improve efficiency, directly boosting financial returns.

What’s more, we expect farmers to make purchasing decisions based on data-backed ROI projections. This may affect how retailers and manufacturers position products and recommendations. It’ll be important to use sensitive messaging that leads with value – and keeps broader economic conditions in mind.

2. More Ag-Specific Gen AI Applications Will Emerge

Gen AI has been slow to take hold in the ag industry, but more practical applications are beginning to emerge – especially for retail agronomists.

In 2024, Bayer unveiled a Gen AI tool that can answer agronomic questions in seconds, empowering agronomists to offer farmers faster and better-informed guidance.

Syngenta’s Cropwise AI has gone a step further by putting agronomic AI directly in farmers’ hands. Now, farmers can ask a Gen AI chatbot to make seed recommendations, forecast crop yield potential, offer tailored suggestions for input application, and more. Farmers are already seeing ROI: Syngenta reports yield increases of up to 5 percent.

Of course, all Gen AI tools right now have clear accuracy and reliability concerns. But ag-focused models are only getting better – and we expect more to hit the market in 2025. 

Watch out for those with retrieval augmented generation (or RAG) capabilities that allow models to reference knowledge beyond just training data. With any luck, the next wave of Gen AI tools might even pair agronomic guidance with suggested assurances (like warranties) to lower the barrier to adoption.

3. Autonomous Tech Will Yield Enormous Value

An industry-wide labor shortage has contributed to growing demand for autonomous tech – and that demand is unlikely to go anywhere in 2025. From autonomous tractors to See and Spray™ weed control, farmers will have a number of options to augment their workforce and boost each worker’s overall efficiency.

It’s worth noting that this tech is pricey up front. But for farmers with enough capital on hand, it can be well worth the investment. See and Spray™, for instance, can help farmers treat weeds with pinpoint accuracy. The benefit: less pesticide usage and lower input costs.

As more autonomous ag tech become more accessible, they will play an even bigger role in helping farmers balance profitability and sustainability. That’s bound to have positive ROI implications.

4. Blockchain Will Improve Carbon Markets

Carbon credits are a popular way to support sustainability in ag. But the system isn’t flawless. As it stands, multiple stakeholders often lay claim to the same carbon reduction, which can create confusion and dilute the overall impact. It’s also tough to verify the authenticity of credits, a challenge that can undermine trust in carbon markets.

Blockchain, though, could be the solution that takes off in 2025. The tech is already used in cryptocurrencies to create a decentralized, public ledger of every transaction. The same concept could apply to carbon markets: blockchain could ensure that each carbon credit issuance is unique and publicly recorded.

How does this impact farmers? Those who adopt sustainable practices can more easily prove their carbon reduction efforts and sell any excess credits to create new revenue streams.

5. Simulation-Based Prescriptions Will Pick Up Steam

Imagine a digital tool that simulates a farm’s unique environment and conditions to suggest hyper-tailored practices and inputs. This is the promise of simulation-based prescriptions.

The underlying technology – digital twins – gained a lot of steam last year across industries like logistics and manufacturing. In an ag context, simulations can help agronomists better understand a farmer’s land. By modeling the impact of inputs and practices under a range of conditions, agronomists can make highly customized prescriptions that maximize yields and profitability.

Digital twin simulations are still relatively new in ag right now. But we expect them to make a stronger showing than ever in 2025.

Innovation Demands Buy-In

Many of the trends we’ve shared here have something in common: a need for widespread farmer buy-in to fully materialize. But that can be a tough ask for some, especially amid razor-thin margins. To take the leap on new tech, inputs, and practices, farmers need clear incentives.

Warranties and input financing can help. They empower farmers to embrace innovation without sacrificing financial security. Want to learn how? Let’s start a conversation.

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