Tech adoption, robots and the future of food feature at evoke^AG. 2025

Day 1 media highlights:

evoke^AG. 2025 in Brisbane has seen record attendance, with over just under 2,000 delegates, 40 startups and 12 scaleups, and a program of more than 95 speakers, making it the largest AgriFutures evoke^AG. event to date.

On Day 1 of the two-day event, attendees heard from speakers including:

• Mike Casey, CEO of Rewiring Aotearoa, the world’s first fully electric farm
• Jack Bobo, Executive Director of the UCLA Rothman Family Institute (Food Studies) and author of “Why Smart People Make Bad Food Choices”
• Sarah Cragg, Head of the Earthshot Prize for the Asia Pacific, an award founded by the Prince of Wales to recognise innovation for sustainability
• Robert Boyd of Boeing Asia Pacific, working to accelerate aerospace decarbonisation.
• Anthony Lee, CEO and Director, Australian Country Choice, one of the world’s largest family-owned cattle and beef supply chain enterprises.

Hailing from 27 countries, close to 2,000 people have today descended on AgriFutures Australia’s evoke^AG. 2025 event at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The largest agrifood technology and innovation event in the Asia-Pacific, evoke^AG. brings together the brightest minds in the sector to catapult Australian agriculture towards its ambition to be a $100 billion industry by 2030 and discuss the most pressing issues facing global food and fibre production.

This year’s conversations are centred around four important threads: Economics & Trade, exploring global market competitiveness and investment trends; Innovation and Future Technology, showcasing innovation in robotics, AI, and next-gen technologies; Sustainability and Environment, inspiring agriculture’s and agritech’s role in climate and environmental solutions; and Workforce and Skills Gap, tackling innovative strategies to attract and retain the brightest talent for a growing agriculture sector.

Representatives from the world’s most dynamic and successful agrifood producers, retailers and investors are in Queensland to share their insights as part of the bold two-day program and its sideline events. Over fifty start-up and scale-up businesses are also showcasing cutting-edge technologies, from autonomous robots to vertical farming, AI-powered insect monitoring, and drone-based livestock management.

Finding common ground to drive innovation

AgriFutures Australia Managing Director, John Harvey said AgriFutures was thrilled to be able to deliver its most interactive evoke^AG. to date, uniting the agri-food sector on the 2025 theme, ‘Common Ground.’

“Agriculture in Australia – and across the Asia-Pacific – plays a critical role in feeding a growing global population. In light of shifting environmental, trade and market conditions, evoke^AG. is more important than ever. The industry can’t stand still,” Mr Harvey said.

“The agrifood sector has always been at the forefront of innovation. The role of evoke^AG. is to bring all the masterminds together, the people who can turn ideas into action – the investors, the makers, the scientists and the primary producers,” he said.”

Mark Allison and John Harvey in The Common at evoke^AG. 2025.

For the fifth consecutive time, Elders has joined evoke^AG. 2025 as the Platinum Partner. Elders Managing Director and CEO, Mark Allison, echoed the opportunity for the agriculture sector to thrive through collaboration and innovation.

“Our agriculture sector’s advantage is having a resilient mindset and curious approach to farming, hardened by decades of innovating to produce food and fibre in one of the most environmentally challenging landscapes on earth,” Mr Allison said.

“evoke^AG. encourages us to continue to innovate by promoting connection and knowledge sharing to help address the modern challenges faced by farmers and the wider agricultural supply chain.”

Turning traditional keynote on its head: Delegates ask the tough questions

A highlight of Day 1 was an innovation in itself, with the traditional keynote flipped on its head. Delegates were handed the microphone to ask provocative questions of panellist experts on the future of food production.

As part of the ‘Tough questions – you ask, they answer’ session, change-makers from industry and government were asked on the spot questions ranging from workforce and trade to the impact of innovation and research.

On trade, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Downforce Technologies, Prof. Jacqueline McGlade said it was important that Australia gets ahead of the game.

“Politicians are fickle, and trade relations come and go – but farmers stay,” Professor McGlade said.

“Countries must be better prepared to change the diversity of goods coming out of that country.

“When you look at Australia, you are unfortunately on the cutting edge of climate issues – therefore, being ready and knowing what the rest of the world is going to experience because you already have, gives an advantage.

“You are far more likely to make a success of crops and products that are going to be needed to meet global demand for food. So, let’s get our shop in order, be ready and grow the things that we know we are going to need in the future.”

On ag-tech adoption, CEO and Director, Australian Country Choice, Andrew Lee said that when it comes to scale and commercial viability, individual businesses operating in the agriculture supply chain had an important role to play.

“For ag-tech companies I would encourage them to approach individual businesses first,” Mr Lee said.

“Work with a reputable company, and if that company likes your tech you can then approach a research and development corporation together and that will have a far greater impact.”

In the spirit of collaboration, thought leaders from the grains, horticulture, livestock, fisheries, processing, retail and logistics sectors all contributed to the day’s bold discussions. This included Regional Head for Boeing, Robert Boyd, and General Manager of Agribusiness for CommBank, Natasha Greenwood.

The excitement will continue tomorrow with Day 2 of evoke^AG. as speakers delve into robotics, quantum computing, sustainable 3D ocean farming and the war on waste.

ENDS 

Announcements made at evoke^AG. 2025 Day 1.

• CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, today launched a new tool to verify Australian food product claims and green credentials. Read more here.
• In a world first, Australian scientists at ROAM Agricultural, spinoff of Loam Bio, have identified a specific naturally-occurring fungi with the potential to drastically cut methane emissions in livestock. Read more here.
• North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative and Sparklabs Cultiv8 have announced a partnership to create new market entry opportunities for agrifood companies in Australia and the United States, fostering collaboration and innovation in the sector. Read more here.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES

For more information, interviews, and to access recordings of additional sessions from Day 1, please contact the evoke^AG. media team (contacts below).

Jordana King, p: 0426 294 221, e: [email protected]

Harriet Bawden, p: 0488 787 849, e: [email protected]

MEDIA NOTES

About evoke^AG.

evoke^AG. is powered by AgriFutures Australia and funded by the Australian Government, Platinum Partner Elder, Host City Partner, Brisbane Economic Development Agency and Host State Partner, Queensland Government.

The event is a leading global agrifood technology and innovation event that unites the agrifood innovation community across the Asia Pacific and around the world. It is a showcase of bold ideas, groundbreaking innovations and disruptive science driving agriculture towards a better future.

The 2025 evoke^AG. theme, Common Ground calls upon the global agrifood tech and innovation community to unite on common ground to solve shared challenges and seize future opportunities, together.

The 2025 event is set to take place at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on 18 and 19 February, shining a spotlight on Queensland’s $23bn agricultural industry.

evoke^AG. 2025 is an invitation to founders, funders and adopters to break out of siloes, to come together to find common ground, and collectively translate innovation into action.