Field Monitoring

John Deere-Sentera Tie Up: Here’s What We Know So Far

Tue, 27 May 2025 15:40:37 GMT

John Deere has announced its acquisition of Minnesota-based aerial optics innovator Sentera. Although specific details are few and far between this early in the process, here’s what we know so far:

The two companies have a long history. John Deere was the first enterprise customer Sentera signed onto its system over a decade ago, and the two companies have had an API link in place between Sentera’s drone management software and John Deere’s Operations Center since 2016.
Financial details are not being disclosed. We do know the deal is not subject to any further regulatory or shareholder approvals.
In a similar fashion to the Blue River Technologies and Bear Flag Robotics acquisitions, Sentera will maintain its independence as a free-standing business unit. Once fully integrated into the Deere family, Sentera will operate under the John Deere Intelligent Solutions Group (ISG) framework. Sentera leadership will remain at its St. Paul, Minn., headquarters.
For the time being, no major changes are planned for either company as we head into the heart of the summer crop scouting and spraying season. The two companies anticipate having more details to share about the nuts and bolts of the acquisition this fall.
The two groups are a natural fit. Sentera is aggressively marketing its SmartScripts drone weed mapping program, and the technology is complimentary to John Deere’s Operations Center and its See & Spray and ExactApply application technologies. One driving force behind this deal, Farm Journal is told, is Deere’s motivation to integrate more real-time agronomic data into its Operations Center platform, and Sentera’s aerial data capture capabilities can help make that happen.

(John Deere)

A deal to lift both boats. John Deere has built up a deep bench of artificial intelligence, machine learning and autonomous technology expertise within ISG, and Sentera has a long track record of aerial sensing and camera payload innovation. Considering how many cameras and sensors are included from the factory on new John Deere machines and within its Precision Upgrades retrofit kits, there should be a healthy cross pollination of sensor and camera innovation between Urbandale, Iowa, (where ISG is based) and St. Paul, Minn.
Sentera can help make See & Spray even better. SmartScripts uses drone-based imaging to scan a field and build a weed pressure map which is then loaded onto the sprayer’s in-cab computer. Now the sprayer operator can see exactly where weeds are in the field and focus their spraying efforts there first. There’s also a logistical and planning aspect to SmartScripts: by knowing exactly how many weeds are present in the field, and even what type of weeds are there, an adept operator can have the right active ingredients premixed and the exact amount needed loaded into the tank or staged nearby in a tender truck to keep that sprayer running all day long.

“Farming is becoming a very sensor and data-centric business, and in our opinion, there isn’t anyone doing it at broad scale today better than John Deere,” says Eric Taipale, chief technology officer, Sentera. “The way we can bring these data-driven insights and improve grower outcomes — it’s just what we’ve always been about. It’s what John Deere is all about. There’s such a great mesh between the two cultures, the objectives and the mission of the two organizations.”

Joseph Liefer, global technology marketing lead at John Deere, adds, “We’re excited about how this complements our existing portfolio with See & Spray, and then not just that (product). Now a farmer with an individual nozzle-controlled sprayer from any manufacturer can also leverage this technology. A drone can fly their field, generate a weed map, turn it into a prescription in Operations Center and the machine can go execute the plan. From an ag retailer standpoint, that might have a mixed fleet, and this gives them more tools in the toolbox to do targeted application for growers and help them save on herbicide. We view this deal as complementary to our overall tech strategy.”

Your Next Read: MAHA Report’s Surprising Stance on Glyphosate, Atrazine Explained

Google’s Parent Company Alphabet Disperses Its Ag Tech Subsidiary

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 15:35:00 GMT

Announced earlier today, Mineral, Alphabet’s ag company, will wind down its operations.

“Mineral will no longer be an Alphabet company, and our technology will live on inside of leading agribusinesses where they can have maximum impact,” said Mineral CEO Elliott Grant in a blog post.

Mineral was founded in 2018 as part of X, the moonshot factory of Alphabet, and it had about 100 team members.

What did Mineral develop and build:

• an image database of more than 17 crops in every stage of growth in multiple environments.

• A four-wheeled semi-autonomous rover platform with multiple configurations and the core functionality as a data collection machine.

• in-field harvest analysis and post-harvest crop condition ratings for berry crops in partnership with Driscoll’s

• a geospatial analysis platform that has collected more than 450 million acres of farmland.

• Phenotyping databases and analysis

• And additional machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies.

Here’s a link to previous coverage about Mineral.

Driscoll’s has confirmed it will license the tech it partnered with Mineral to develop.

“Mineral had partnered closely with Driscoll’s - the world’s leading berry company - to develop AI tools to improve crop phenotyping, better forecast yields, optimize quality inspections, and reduce food waste in the supply chain. Some of the technologies we developed have now been transferred to Driscoll’s and will be integrated into their systems to help achieve their sustainability ambitions. Driscoll’s is the first agribusiness to receive Mineral technology, and is a first step towards ensuring that our breakthrough technologies achieve the greatest impact,” Grant said.

In closing he gave an analogy of the company’s name to the how it can be applied as a verb in the agricultural context:

“In soil science, mineralization is the process by which the nutrients in organic matter are released in a form that makes them available to the plants around them. I think this is a fitting metaphor for the new chapter of Mineral - as our technologies will be mobilized into the agriculture ecosystem, with the goal of making it more sustainable, and more resilient.”

Walmart partners with Agritask on produce sourcing pilot

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 13:06:06 GMT

Walmart has partnered with Agritask, a crop supply intelligent company, to pilot a technology solution with the retailer’s Global Tech Sparkubate program. Sparkubate enables sourcing managers to make informed decisions on seasonal fruit crop yields such as cherries and blackberries, according to a news release.

This pilot program will use Agritask’s remote sensing and data analytics tools in the U.S. and Mexico to provide real-time, hyperlocal insights on seasonal blackberry and cherry crops from select Walmart suppliers, the release said.

“Dealing with challenges in purchasing and planning accuracy in agriculture due to data discrepancies and environmental uncertainties can be tough. Agritask’s technology has the potential to fill vital information gaps that sourcing managers often face when predicting yield,” said Kyle Carlyle, vice president of sourcing innovation and surety of supply at Walmart. “Teaming up with Agritask enables Walmart to delve into more streamlined and sustainable sourcing practices, ensuring we consistently deliver fresh, high-quality products to meet customer demand.”

The retailer selected cherries and blackberries due to the sensitivity of temperature fluctuations and moisture levels, which can affect growth, quality, transport and shelf life, the release said.

Agritask said the goal of the project is to secure surety of supply, reduce food waste and guarantee fresh produce for shoppers. The company added that this real-time monitoring will help the retailer respond to adverse environmental conditions and better manage supply.

Agritask said examples of insights include:

Immediate alerts on emerging or forming risks and their potential impact on target crops, such as an unexpected frost harming a cherry harvest, enabling Walmart to adjust procurement strategies swiftly.
Real-time assessment of timing, delays, or advances in expected harvest, allowing Walmart to proactively manage inventory levels and explore alternative sourcing options.
Updated indications on meeting yield targets throughout the growing season, allowing Walmart to optimize supply chain logistics and ensure sufficient product availability for customers.

“Walmart’s global scale and commitment to strengthening sustainable supply chains makes them the ideal partner for Agritask’s tech solutions,” said Ofir Ardon, CEO of Agritask. “We are thrilled to have Walmart become the first retail partner to integrate Yield Intelligence, adopting our data-driven innovation built on 15 years of optimizing agricultural supply chains to reshape how enterprises collaborate with suppliers. Together, we are uniquely positioned to implement scalable, climate-smart and risk-ready solutions that optimize sourcing from the ground up.”

Four tech startups chosen to compete for $250,000

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:33:27 GMT

Four finalists have been selected to compete in the inaugural Radicle Automation Challenge for a minimum of $250,000 in investment capital.

Western Growers and Radicle Growth selected finalists for the June 26 event, which will grant a minimum of $250,000 in investment capital and exclusive access to farm acreage to pilot their technologies, according to a news release.

The finalists will pitch their ideas to a panel of investors, corporate partners and agricultural pioneers who will decide whether and how much to invest, according to the release.

The winner will be announced during the pitch session and officially presented with an award later the evening of June 26 during the Western Growers’ Innovation Showcase Dinner at the Forbes AgTech Summit in Salinas.

The four companies were selected for their work on developing technologies that improve on-farm efficiencies and automation top ease the ag labor shortage, the release said.

The finalists are:

Augean Robotics — Burro, a robot that follows pickers and functions as a virtual conveyor belt between pick points and collection points, allowing hand pickers to pick continuously rather than using up to 30% of their time shuttling produce.
FruitSpec — FruitSpec provides an accurate yield estimate when fruit is immature, to help make critical decisions earlier.
Ganaz — Ganaz helps farms recruit and engage a workforce, using a network of farmworkers and social media integrations.
GroGuru — GroGuru has a wireless underground sensor that can monitor, collect and analyze data, and deliver real-time results for soil and water management across all soil and crop types.

Event judges who will offer feedback, equity investment offers and acreage for use in pilot programs, are:

Kirk Haney, CEO and managing partner of Radicle Growth;
Arama Kukutai, co-founder and partner of Finistere Ventures;
Frank Maconachy, president and CEO of Ramsay Highlander Inc.;
Tom Nunes, vice president of operations of The Nunes Co. Inc.; and
Wendy Srnic, research director at Corteva Agriscience—Agricultural Division of DowDuPont.