Thank you to the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee members and their staff for the invitation to this meeting. I would also like to thank Senator Vogel and Senator Pennycuick for their leadership over the committee. It is a great honor to be here and speak about how technology powers Pennsylvania agriculture. 

I am Daniel Foy, the Co-Founder and CEO of AgriGates, an AgriTech company proudly founded in Pennsylvania. At AgriGates, we focus on improving food animal welfare using machine-learning ecosystems that make food animal farming intelligent and sustainable, while making animals healthier, which impacts the viability and profitability of farms. 

AgriGates is recognized as a FoodTech 500 company, highlighting our contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and 15 (Life on Land). Our team is deeply committed to advancing agricultural technology at the farm level. 

I am also proud to share that I became a US citizen this past October and call Pennsylvania my home. My citizenship ceremony took place between the Constitution Center and Independence Hall, where I live in Philadelphia, and it was quite a poignant moment in my life. 

When I became a citizen, I received a booklet outlining my duties, such as voting and jury duty. I’ll have my first jury duty on January 24th, and I realized that I had already fulfilled another duty that was outlined to new citizens: starting a business. 

In 2020, during the pandemic, when most were locking down, I was building up. From my basement in Philadelphia, seeing a need to use farm-level data for greater efficiency and insight to animal behavior and health, AgriGates was born. Today, AgriGates is the global expert in food animal agriculture machine learning ecosystems for improved food animal welfare. I also lead international scientific committees related to AgriTech AI, behavior and welfare, as well as data standards. 

Our projects have taken us to collaborate with Pennsylvania institutions like Penn State university and the University of Pennsylvania, leveraging their world-class expertise in animal science and veterinary medicine to drive innovation right here at home. 

I would like to personally thank Dr. Cantor at Penn State University’s Department of Animal Science and Dr. Parsons at the University of Pennsylvania’s Swine Teaching and Research Center for their unwavering support. Their groundbreaking work, such as developing behavior profiles in swine and dairy calves using AgriGates tools, exemplifies the value of sustained partnerships, investment in research, and innovation. Just this past weekend, Dr. Parsons at Penn Vet and AgriGates made history by collecting behavioral ethograms from sows, paving the way for integrating that data into machine learning models. These innovations, now shaping the sector, stem from ideas and discussions we initiated nearly a decade ago, highlighting the critical role of forward-thinking collaboration in advancing the industry. 

As an Irish American from a rural community in Ireland of 2,000 people, whose economy revolves around food animal agriculture, I deeply understand the significance of this sector to the economy and community here in the Commonwealth. Seeing European cheese and butter on Pennsylvania shelves serves as a reminder of the untapped potential to develop and promote similar local products and brands within the Commonwealth and across the country. These efforts could bring immense value to our producers and strengthen our communities.  

As we pivot from traditional farming to digital farming with sustainability and profitability—precision livestock farming with improved food animal welfare at its core is imperative—it is my mission as a Pennsylvanian entrepreneur to ensure that Pennsylvania leads in AgriTech globally. 

This is crucial as, in Pennsylvania, 90% of farmers’ income comes within 20 miles of the farm gate. Protecting Pennsylvania producers from out-of-state and alternative food animal products means ensuring market security and access while improving welfare and sustainability to meet consumer expectations. Regulations like Prop 12 in California demonstrate how consumer demand for welfare-conscious products is driving the market. We need to ensure Pennsylvania farmers have the tools to meet these standards and retain critical market access, as agriculture remains such an important industry to the Commonwealth and the nutrition of its citizens. 

To achieve this, we need more Pennsylvania-produced AgriTech solutions that support local producers close to the farm gate. However, more is needed for us to lead. Currently, 63% of AgriTech in the U.S. comes from outside the country, with probably 99% of on-farm animal agriculture technology coming from outside the state. We must focus on machine learning and, in the future, AI in animal agriculture, the value of data, and protecting farmers’ data. These challenges are also opportunities for growth and maintaining Pennsylvania as an important food production state and AgriTech leader. 

The AgriTech sector is projected to grow from $24 billion today to $40 billion by 2030. We must ensure that those dollars grow here in Pennsylvania. In Philadelphia, we are the MedTech capital. In Pittsburgh, we have an digital and engineering Hub. When I think of middle of Pennsylvania, I envision it as a hub for AgriTech—bringing billions of dollars and innovation to the Commonwealth and its farmers. 

I want to thank the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee for supporting initiatives like the Farm Bill, the Center for Poultry and Livestock Excellence, the Dairy Center for Excellence, and the new innovation grant program signed over the summer by Governor Shapiro. These efforts are essential for fostering innovation and reducing risks for new projects and developments that we are uniquely positioned to benefit from. These grants and project funding opportunities have been vital to us at AgriGates, and more are needed to continue to foster innovation and businesses in food animal Agriculture and AgriTech.  

As Secretary Russell has previously pointed out, Pennsylvania’s resources and agriculture diversity are an incredible strengths. With 250 million animals in the state—that’s 19 animals for every person—understanding and improving food animal welfare is imperative to meet consumer expectations and maintain market access, while recognizing the critical role of one-health approaches connecting animal, human, and environmental health. 

I am excited about the next five years and am committed to making Pennsylvania a global center for food animal AgriTech. Thank you once again for this opportunity. I look forward to your questions and working together to make Pennsylvania a leader in food animal agriculture and AgriTech. 

I want to leave you with a quote from one of Pennsylvania’s greatest, Ben Franklin:  “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”  

Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning. 

Thank you. 

We also have a booth outside today, so please stop by, say hello, and learn more about what we are doing.