Brash Ag

Raymond King and Kit Franklin
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Brash Ag will be lifting the lid on everything agricultural technology and agtech. Your hosts Raymond King and Kit Franklin are both Chartered Agricultural Engineers and experienced innovators and technologists. Through a mixture of commentary, insights and interviews, Ray and Kit will be using their experience to explore and explain the concepts, ideas, technology and business models that make agtech one of the most exciting and engaging industries to be involved in. Email us: contact@brash-ag.com The first season and launch of the podcast was supported by the Douglas Bomford Trust www.dbt.org.uk Raymond King https://www.linkedin.com/in/flynt-technology/ Kit Franklin https://www.linkedin.com/in/kit-franklin-33649a51/

  1. 1h ago

    100. The Brains Trust

    The podcast has hit 100 episodes, to celebrate this milestone, Kit and Ray sat down with a formidable Brainstrust panel, with a collective 100 YEARS of experience. Each panel member has been a part of the Brash Ag journey to 100 episodes, some as guests, some as instigators and even an apprentice host. The Brainstrust work together to answer the questions; What has changed in agtech in the two years since the podcast started? And what will the future be in two years' time when the podcast reaches it 200th episode. The pair are joined by: Belinda Clarke OBE: Director of Agri-TechE and guest on Episode 33 of the Brash Ag podcast. Clive Blacker: Precision Farming innovator, Director of Agrivation Ltd, Key part of the AgAnalyst team, Nuffield Scholar and guest on Episode 52 of the Brash Ag podcast. Andy Newbold: Secretary General of the European Society of Agricultural Engineers, Past President of Institution of Agricultural Engineers, Managing Director of FarmSmart and Newmac and guest on Episode 60 of the Brash Ag podcast. Kieran Walsh: Director and co-founder of Grounded Agvice and apprentice host on Episode 97 of the Brash Ag Podcast. Along with industry insights, advice and information that can’t be found anywhere else, the panel also bring a healthy dose of humor and banter to keep Ray and Kit grounded as they continue their journey with the podcast. Message from Ray and Kit: “ We would like to thank our loyal audience for continuing to support the podcast by tuning in each week, providing guest suggestions and giving us feedback to help us improve. We would also like to thank the Douglas Bomford Trust for getting us started and our current Series sponsor Control Technologies UK for helping us to grow the podcast and improve the content….here’s to many more episodes to come”

    100. The Brains Trust

  2. Sep 10

    99. Control Technologies UK – Speaking the language of machines

    This week, Kit and Ray speak to Mark Wood, CEO of Control Technologies UK. Mark shares his unconventional journey from rowing coach to controls engineer and the proactive, feet-first approach that helped him build a multimillion-pound engineering business. Drawing on his knowledge of embedded software, CAN bus and ISOBUS, Mark explains how his 14-strong team combines specialist hardware with engineering expertise to solve control and automation challenges across agriculture, construction, defence, marine, rail and motorsport. Mark discusses his long relationship with Standen Engineering, from helping develop the second-generation control system for its potato harvester while at STW to Control Technologies UK recently delivering the third generation. Kit and Mark also step back in time to discuss a time when they worked together on design and engineering of the big bale transtacker. Mark also explains how the business has expanded from engineering consultancy into hardware distribution and a successful online shop. The conversation covers the importance of defining project scope and introducing dedicated project management as the company has grown. Looking ahead, Mark shares his ambition to develop Control Technologies UK’s own products and intellectual property, including configurable software tools, machine connectivity and intelligent edge devices. Mark also introduces the latest initiative from Control Technologies UK called meet an engineer, allowing prospective clients to get in contact to discuss their challenges and find out how CT UK can help. Huge thanks to Controls Technologies UK for being the first series sponsor for the Brash Ag podcast! Meet an engineer: https://controltechuk.com/contact-us/ Webshop: www.controltech.uk.com

    99. Control Technologies UK – Speaking the language of machines

  3. Sep 3

    98. Economad – Where There’s Muck, There’s Gas!

    Could anaerobic digestion power the future of small farms? How small is too small when it comes to herd size and viable energy production? This week, Kit and Ray sit down with EcoNomad Solutions founder Ilan Adler to explore his vision for making anaerobic digestion accessible to smaller farms. Ilan explains how his academic background—including a PhD in rainwater harvesting at UCL—and his experience in wastewater treatment and renewable energy inspired him to develop anaerobic digestion technology for smallholders and farmers. He also discusses becoming a Royal Academy of Engineering Industrial Fellow and how the Academy’s support helped him transition from academia into building EcoNomad. Using advanced bag technology, EcoNomad has developed low-cost, relocatable—hence the “nomad” in EcoNomad—and straightforward-to-install systems capable of turning farm waste into useful heat, electricity and biogas. Drawing on his wealth of experience, Ilan gives a fascinating high-level view of the opportunities and challenges surrounding renewable energy generation and infrastructure. He also addresses some of the criticisms levelled at anaerobic digestion, including the use of energy crops, and explains the potential value of capturing energy from unavoidable agricultural wastes. Based at Rothamsted Research, EcoNomad is continuing to develop its technology through research, commercial installations and collaborative projects. Ilan discusses the role of support from organisations including the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Innovate UK’s Energy Catalyst programme in helping the business develop and test new ideas. Having recently secured investment from the British Design Fund, alongside further backing from the Beeches Group, Ilan reflects on the challenges of financing physical technology in the UK. He considers the complementary roles that private investors and public funders such as Innovate UK can play in helping hardware-focused start-ups bridge the gap between an early prototype and a scalable commercial product.

    98. Economad – Where There’s Muck, There’s Gas!

  4. Aug 27

    97. We F**ked Up and We’re Sorry—Plus Robots, Crop-Sap Scanning and Bespoke Fertilisers

    This week, Ray and Kit issue a sombre apology for some of the mistakes they made in Episode 94. Did they get too giddy about receiving the podcast’s first press release? Or were they so excited by the potential collaboration between TAFE and Deutz Engines that they forgot to check the facts? Either way, they got it wrong—and they are sorry. In lighter news, Kit plugs the upcoming Institute of Agricultural Engineers Annual Conference. Titled Automation in Agriculture: From Innovation to Impact, the event promises to showcase the bleeding edge of agricultural technology and hardware. Whether you are an IAgrE member or not, book your place and join Kit and Ray at Harper Adams University on Wednesday 21 October. Ray brings news from Cornish straw-chopper manufacturer Teagle Machinery, which recently welcomed celebrity guest Steph McGovern to celebrate vocational training and apprenticeships. How does the business attract and retain young talent in its local area? And what innovative approach does it use to empower younger members of its team? The pair then climb aboard their virtual time machine for a Throwback Thursday trip to Groundswell, where they hear from: Philippe Cousin of SENSEEN, who introduces the NutriScope. Is it a Bale Spike product? Can it help farmers and agronomists make better, more timely decisions about their crops? What does the future hold for the NutriScope—and could it support growers beyond the arable sector? Howard and Sam Mason of Left Field Agriculture, who tell the co-hosts about their pioneering inter-row mowing robot, developed to maintain beneficial living mulches while supporting regenerative farming and soil health. How has Ray’s consultancy, Flynt Technology, supported its development? And what does the future hold for this breakthrough technology? Andrew Sincock of Agro-Vital UK/Agritron, who explains the Triplex system for small-scale batch production of fertiliser—an approach designed for larger farms, cooperatives and joint-venture farming businesses. Could the technology give farmers greater control over how they source and manage fertiliser? How much does it cost, and how does the business model work? https://open.spotify.com/episode/1qfRxKRpuVxHHa3o1yhr5L?si=KFSX2-A-S0iNUaSpjlllOQ&utm_source=copy-link

    97. We F**ked Up and We’re Sorry—Plus Robots, Crop-Sap Scanning and Bespoke Fertilisers

  5. Aug 20

    96. RootWave – Can electricity kill off herbicides?

    What inspired Andrew Diprose to swap a career in the City for reviving a weed-control technology first explored in the 1980s? What makes RootWave different from other approaches to electrical weeding? And how can partnering with established machinery manufacturers unlock entirely new markets for a core technology? This week, Ray and Kit sit down with Andrew Diprose at RootWave's high-tech facilities in Warwickshire. Andrew explains: How, inspired by his academic father, he swapped a career in the City for a 'shed venture' developing chemical-free weed-control technology. What it took to build the business, develop the technology and bring it to market. How RootWave's unique approach to generating and delivering electrical energy is designed to make electrical weed control as safe as possible. How partnering with Garford Farm Machinery has helped RootWave take its technology into markets it may otherwise have struggled to reach. How the business has raised investment and where the funding needed to support the journey has come from. Why Jorge Heraud joined the board to help steer Rootwave to success. From shed-built prototypes to high-voltage weed control and major manufacturing partnerships, this episode explores the journey behind RootWave and asks whether electricity could become a genuine alternative to herbicides.

    96. RootWave – Can electricity kill off herbicides?

  6. Aug 13

    95. Warwick Agri-Tech – Can robotics solve farming's toughest bottlenecks?

    How can we bring industry and academia together to solve some of farming's biggest challenges? What can agriculture learn from the automotive sector? And where should robotics be deployed first to deliver real value? This week, Kit and Ray head up the Fosse Way to visit Warwick Agri-Tech at the University of Warwick, meeting the engineers developing practical technology for growers today. Hear from three members of the team: Alicia Feledziak – Business Development Manager at Warwick Agri-Tech, explains how the initiative brings together engineering, crop science and industry to tackle real-world farming challenges, how Warwick Agri-Tech was founded, and why collaboration is key to accelerating innovation. Harry Boyce – Lead Engineer (Hardware and Robotic Developments), demonstrates how his team is helping J&A Growers tackle one of nursery production's biggest labour challenges. With more than 200,000 tree saplings needing to be sorted every day, Harry explains why automating even part of the process could transform productivity. Ben Ayre – Lead Engineer, Intelligent Vehicles – Integration and Trials, gives Kit and Ray a demonstration of autonomous logistics in a commercial strawberry operation, arguing that supporting human pickers may deliver greater value than trying to replace them with complex harvesting robots. From autonomous logistics to AI-enabled tree sorting, this episode explores what happens when world-class engineering meets real farming problems.

    95. Warwick Agri-Tech – Can robotics solve farming's toughest bottlenecks?

  7. Aug 6

    94. TAFE Builds DEUTZ – Plus AI Dystopia, 3D Printing Nirvana & are we now at ‘Peak Subscription’

    What can we learn from DEUTZ's new manufacturing partnership with TAFE? Could 3D printing turn customers into your best R&D team? And are subscriptions and AI giving manufacturers too much control over the products we buy? In this week's News Feed, Ray and Kit unpack: TAFE's newly announced agreement to manufacture DEUTZ 50–100 hp engines in India. Is it simply a cost-saving move for DEUTZ, or part of TAFE's strategy to secure world-class powertrains for its next generation of tractors? They also explore how Festool and Renault are using 3D printing to put manufacturing directly into customers' hands. Could user-generated parts and accessories become a competitive advantage rather than a threat? The pair discuss reports that a Ford Bronco was effectively disabled over a missed subscription payment. Whether the story is entirely accurate or not, it raises a bigger question: have manufacturers pushed subscription models too far, and are engineers sacrificing customer ownership in the process? Finally, with AI becoming embedded across engineering businesses, Ray and Kit ask whether companies are becoming dangerously dependent on AI providers whose pricing, policies and capabilities remain outside their control. Kit also shares two interviews from a Harper Adams study tour organised by Gofar, the team behind FIRA, exploring why Australian farmers have come to the UK and what British agriculture can learn from the exchange.

    94. TAFE Builds DEUTZ – Plus AI Dystopia, 3D Printing Nirvana & are we now at ‘Peak Subscription’

  8. Jul 30

    93. Could lasers be for losers? - The Earth Rover Story

    What is concentrated light and how can it beat lasers at annihilating weeds? How can autonomous weeding help fill in resource gaps? Who actually grows the trees that get planted for every new conservation project and hedgerow in the UK? This week Kit and Ray are on the road (Up the Fosse Way again!) and headed to J&A growers in Warwickshire to see an Earth Rover robot in action, eradicating weeds in beds of Hawthorn saplings. The pair speak with Earth Rover CEO James Miller, hearing about his career working in engineering consultancy, moving to work for Tafe in India as the group CTO and why he moved back to the UK to spearhead the future of chemical free weed control. Harry Ellis, Field Test engineer at Earth rover also helps to give more detail about the system, how it works and his experience since starting at Earth Rover a year ago. While in the field the co-hosts also take the opportunity to speak with Jamie Dewhurst Director at J&A Growers to hear why he has chosen to work with Earth Rover and what benefits the autonomous concentrated light autonomous weeding system (CLAWS for short) has brought to the business of growing saplings for wholesale. Could UK agritech steal a march on the likes of L&Aser and Carbon Robotics when it comes to chemical free weeding? The future’s bright the future’s….concertrated

    93. Could lasers be for losers? - The Earth Rover Story
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About

Brash Ag will be lifting the lid on everything agricultural technology and agtech. Your hosts Raymond King and Kit Franklin are both Chartered Agricultural Engineers and experienced innovators and technologists. Through a mixture of commentary, insights and interviews, Ray and Kit will be using their experience to explore and explain the concepts, ideas, technology and business models that make agtech one of the most exciting and engaging industries to be involved in. Email us: contact@brash-ag.com The first season and launch of the podcast was supported by the Douglas Bomford Trust www.dbt.org.uk Raymond King https://www.linkedin.com/in/flynt-technology/ Kit Franklin https://www.linkedin.com/in/kit-franklin-33649a51/

Information

  • Creator
    Raymond King and Kit Franklin
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Brash Ag

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