The 5th Grand Colloque Agtech du Québec, organized by Zone Agtech in partnership with Réseau des CCTT Synchronex, was held on April 1 in Repentigny, bringing together over 200 participants from the Quebec agricultural innovation ecosystem. The event offered a day rich in strategic content, inspiring encounters and major announcements, with five thematic roundtables led by 35 invited experts, a technology exhibition space featuring more than 10 companies, and the presentation of the Grands Prix de l'innovation Agtech 2025, highlighting the boldness and impact of local companies.
The day opened with words from Sébastien Nadeau, Mayor of L'Assomption and Chairman of the Board of the Zone Agtech, who emphasized the growing relevance of the Zone in a context of transformation in the agricultural sector. Two key announcements marked the speech:
Another piece of good news came in the afternoon from Zone Agtech General Manager Marilou Cyr. Multinational Bayer has chosen Zone Agtech as a partner, along with Quebec software development firm Axceta, to develop Bayer's new digital platform, HortiView, which aims to simplify the collection and sharing of data relating to fruit and vegetable cultivation.
"This partnership aims to create an innovation consortium and advance precision agriculture and greenhouse production in Quebec and Canada," enthused Marilou Cyr.
Bayer CropScience's Veerle Mommaerts explains that, at present, the various existing applications for gathering information on fruit and vegetable cultivation "work in silos" and are not interconnected.
"So we decided to set up a way to bring all this data together. Quebec is a good place for this, as it's a very innovative place where there are multiple digital tools and lots of start-ups," she says.
Throughout the day, five thematic panels explored in greater depth the major challenges facing the innovative agriculture and agrifood sector. The first, "Innovation for resilience in times of economic slowdown", explored how innovation and market diversification strategies enable agricultural businesses to better withstand economic and climatic shocks.
The second panel, "Workforce and innovation: AgXis solutions in five horticultural sectors", highlighted concrete technologies being adopted in the apple, potato, strawberry and raspberry, market garden and greenhouse sectors, to address labor shortages and improve operational efficiency.
Discussions continued with "Sustainable synergies: green innovations shaping agriculture", a panel focusing on solutions for energy autonomy, residue recovery and decarbonization of the sector. This was followed by exchanges on precision farming technologies, demonstrating how data, AI and input optimization are transforming practices in the field as well as in the greenhouse. The day concluded with the theme "Agtechs and plant bioproducts: building the future between patience, strategy and capital", where investors and entrepreneurs shared success factors for the emergence of high-performance agtech companies capable of growing and having a lasting impact on tomorrow's agriculture.
Alongside the panels, attendees were able to explore the AgtechX Space, where 13 companies and initiatives showcased their innovations. Exhibitors included: Agrinova, Adsol, Hortau, Revtech Systems, Industries Harnois, BioSun, Greenee Energy, Norbec, Tessier, Agriculturix, Neova, the Visées program (FCCQ/CCMM) and the MARIA initiative(IQDHO).
The symposium concluded with the presentation of the Grands Prix de l'innovation Agtech, in the presence of Centre Desjardins Entreprises Lanaudière. Four awards were presented:
Presented by Harnois Industries, the award went to CASA (Comptoir agricole Ste-Anne) and its STRAHL grain dryer, a highly efficient, energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly drying technology.
The aim of the award was to highlight a company that stands out for its originality, impact and response to the challenges of sustainable agriculture and the food of tomorrow.
The other finalists in this category were GrowClean Technologie and ÉAU.
Presented by Université Laval, the award went to Innovaplant, which designed the first transplanter for bare strawberry roots on plastic mulch.
The aim of the award was to recognize a university entrepreneurial project in agtech or plant bioproducts. The selection criteria were: the originality of the project, its potential impact and influence, and the commitment of the students.
The second runner-up in this category was Boissonneault Surveillance Robotique.
Presented by Quebec's Ministère de l'Économie, de l'Innovation et de l'Énergie, the award went to Entosystem, which recovers non-recycled organic matter from the farm to the grocery store, then feeds it to black soldier fly larvae and transforms the larvae into meal for livestock feed.
The prize was awarded to the company that raised the most funds of the year, demonstrating a strategic vision and a strong ability to mobilize the ecosystem around an impact project.
The second runner-up in this category was Plantaform Technology.
Presented by Gobeil Dion & associés, the award went to Les fermes Aquaverti, a company specializing in vertical farming in Quebec.
The award was presented to a company that had successfully completed its first five years in business, and successfully launched its products on the market. It recognizes perseverance, adaptability and a solid business model in a constantly evolving sector.
Other finalists in this category were Alliance Solutions and Plantaform Technology.
In addition to all the participants and speakers at this edition of the Grand Colloque Agtech du Québec 2025, whose commitment and collaboration were essential to the event's success, Zone Agtech would like to extend a special thank you to its partners: Réseau des CCTT Synchronex, MRC de L'Assomption, Industries Harnois, Agro Québec, Université Laval, Sollum, Epsilia, Axceta, ISEQ, Technum Québec, Desjardins Entreprises, Biopterre, ProduceTech, the Quebec government, Taste of the North, Univerco, and the engineering firm Gobeil Dion & associés.
