During the pandemic, the activities of agricultural companies turned out to be in high demand. The main reason was disruptions in supply, breakdowns in logistics chains, and agro-industrial production. Building new, alternative capacities in the agricultural sector and its logistics turned out to be a highly profitable business. Most innovative companies in this sector attracted increased interest from investors — this applies to both small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as large companies whose shares are traded on the stock market.

Stock tickers BG, AGRO, ADM, CTVA and the agricultural companies behind them — which produce pesticides, biological products, and are involved in the digitalization of agriculture — brought investors 120% annual returns over the two years of the pandemic. On average, over the past five years, an agriculture-focused portfolio with shares of leading companies has yielded up to 20% annually.

However, small enterprises and closed joint-stock companies are also doing well, which proves the healthy potential of this economic sector and its promising outlook for the future.

This overview is a shortlist of what is currently relevant in the agricultural field, and what new technologies are being used by companies based in Boston and the broader New England region. For many advanced companies, the choice of location is obvious — they see many advantages in being close to Massachusetts’ academic resources — MIT, Harvard, and numerous other top-tier universities, colleges, and laboratories.

• Laboratory research in breeding and genetics
• Hardware – drones, sensors, and specialized machinery
• Digital Agro – Big Data management and software

Organic fertilizers and genetics

Chemical fertilizers (the most well-known being ammonia) have a significant impact on the climate and environment. Their production accounts for about 1.5% of total greenhouse gas emissions from human activity. Moreover, their use leads to soil depletion, eventually making the land unsuitable for agriculture.

In addition, synthetic fertilizers have a cumulative effect, and the consequences of their use will only worsen over time. This is where microbiology and genetics come into play. These fields are focused on finding organic alternatives to chemical fertilizers by involving microorganisms or manipulating the DNA of the plants themselves.

Ginkgo Bioworks (Boston) 

The main product of this Boston-based company is a biological line of fertilizers and enzymes for the food industry and medicine. In particular, they produce equipment necessary for the proper use of these molecules and organisms.

The company offers a wide range of agricultural products, such as:

• Proteins and enzymes — they are needed for adapting plant crops to a changing environment, as well as for increasing resistance to diseases and harmful fungi. Proteins are also used to alter the texture and nutritional value of food.

• Biosynthesis — Ginkgo has dozens of bacterial strains for the mass production of organic fertilizers. The company also offers its bioreactors as rentable facilities for “private synthesis.”

• Biological modification — the company owns a number of selective tools for breeding more viable and economically feasible plant varieties.

Agrivida (Woburn) 

The startup Agrivida from Woburn, Massachusetts, is developing the GRAYNZYME technology, which includes special enzymes that increase the nutritional value of this grain crop.

This technology is necessary for animal feed. The more nutritious and cheaper the raw materials are to produce, the lower the final cost of milk, meat, and eggs. Currently, the project focuses on corn, but in the future, the company will most likely begin producing enzymes for other cereals.

Kula Bio (Natick) 

A company from Natick, Massachusetts, is developing organic nitrate fertilizers: an ecological alternative to toxic ammonia.

For biosynthesis of fertilizers, the company does not use genetically modified bacteria. Specialists select the necessary microorganisms and place them in a special high-pressure environment, where they are “fed” carbon compounds, forcing them to produce nitrates. Then these bacteria are introduced into the soil, enriching plants with essential elements, and at the end of their life cycle, they die, turning into carbon, which is also beneficial for the soil.

Agro hardware 

Since the last agricultural revolution, when humans first mastered farming, about 10–11 thousand years have passed. Now the same craft is being mastered by robots; drones, automatic tractors, and even satellites today monitor the condition of crops and soil, water them, and spray fertilizers.

The obvious benefits of using agri-hardware have naturally formed a separate industry. Next — about some of its representatives.

Guardian Agriculture (Woburn) 

Another company from Woburn, whose flagship products are drones, as well as additional equipment and software for their maintenance.

The drones are made using aviation aluminum and carbon compounds to minimize the device’s weight, leaving more useful load capacity for attachments. Sensors, cameras, and irrigation devices (also produced by the company) are mounted on this platform. Additional equipment includes fast chargers and software beyond basic logistics elements.

The company positions its product as an extremely mobile and easy-to-use universal farming device that replaces massive irrigation equipment in the fields. This reduces crop processing time, the amount of water used, and also decreases the need for large combines that emit exhaust gases.

American Robotics (Waltham) 

The agricultural sector is one of the focuses of this Massachusetts robotics company. One of its products was created in consultation with farmers and, therefore, is perfectly suited for fieldwork.

The Scout system is a protected waterproof landing module (also serving as a charging station) for an autonomous drone. The device itself is equipped with a powerful camera capable of capturing images in multiple spectra and artificial intelligence that can map the terrain automatically. 

It is planned that this device will be used in precision agriculture.

Precision agriculture is a type of farming where treatment, irrigation, and care of plants occur selectively, exactly where it is needed.

Freight Farms (Boston) 

In the farmer hardware sector, manufacturers of hydroponic farms stand apart. These “farm stations” for growing plants use a whole array of ventilation, heating, and humidifying systems and can practically provide people with fresh vegetables anywhere on Earth.

Modular hydroponic farms by Freight Farms are essentially mobile containers; the main advantage of such a system is portability. The company also produces lines of eco-friendly fertilizers for efficient year-round crop cultivation.

AI in the field

Artificial intelligence today is used in every field of science. The main reason is that AI can perform calculations by processing visual information with parametric data in fractions of a second.

Such advantages make it an effective assistant in monitoring fields — indicators such as soil moisture, element content, leaf condition, etc. All this noticeably speeds up the process of tending agricultural lands and significantly reduces resource consumption for their maintenance.

Indigo AG (Boston) 

This Boston-based company develops software to optimize the process of carbon farming. This term refers to a set of regenerative methods aimed at maintaining the carbon level (one of the main nutrients for plants) in the soil at a sufficient level.

This system involves installing various sensors in the soil, data from which an AI algorithm processes and then turns into a list of recommendations necessary to maintain soil fertility with continuous use of fertilizers. The company is also developing an application to optimize field logistics (fertilizer delivery, harvest removal, irrigation management).

Sourcetrace (Cambridge) 

The company’s main product is software for the entire logistics chain of the agricultural business.

The company’s target audience is:

• Farmers — software for monitoring soil conditions.
• Entrepreneurs — applications for finding raw material suppliers, sales outlets, and other representatives of the food business.

Such “end-to-end” coverage of all business areas has led to the formation of a real community around SourceTrace products. It includes dozens of food companies, trusted manufacturers, and retail chains, which greatly facilitates building and optimizing one’s own business in the mentioned fields.

Conclusion

Most agricultural companies in Massachusetts are private companies or joint-stock companies that receive development resources from shareholders or private investors.

This situation indicates that these companies are self-sufficient and currently do not plan to enter the stock market. Their products perform their stated tasks well, ensuring a steady influx of clients, and their technologies are advanced enough to attract new financial investments in R&D and regularly implement innovations.

High-tech agribusiness is a healthy and self-sufficient sector that in recent years has enriched Massachusetts’ research community — the leading national cluster of advanced technologies in the USA.