While agtech often celebrates breakthrough technologies that can slash costs for farmers, what if the real value of innovation lies somewhere else entirely?

In this episode, Mark Trzaskoma joins Dr Madeline Mitchell to explore what agtech adoption actually looks like on the ground at Battunga Orchards, a 180-hectare orchard operating across three sites in Victoria.

From mechanised harvest platforms to canopy redesign and data collection tools, each decision at Battunga is guided by a “test, measure, learn” approach, focused on yield, quality, and long-term performance rather than short-term efficiency gains.

Mark also shares a cautionary insight: optimizing for cost can actually reduce productivity. His experience of hitting cost targets in pruning, only to see production decline, highlights a broader challenge in agriculture: efficiency is not the same as effectiveness.

Mark and Maddie discuss:

• Why agtech often delivers value through better outcomes, not lower costs.
• Why cost-cutting can undermine productivity in biological systems.
• The realities of working with early-stage, evolving agtech products.
• Labor constraints and their role in driving automation in horticulture.
• Bridging the growing disconnect between producers and consumers

Useful Links:

• Battunga Orchards from the air, Warragul, Victoria, Australia
• Future Orchards® | Apple and Pear Australia Limited (APAL)
• Food Traceability QR Codes
• Investment Notes: Agovor
• How small growers think about agtech - Tenacious Ventures 
• Getting agtech ready - Tenacious Ventures

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