Technology - General

How Soil Mapping Tech Can Save Water in Orchards

Wed, 06 May 2026 14:22:23 GMT

An all-terrain robot decked out with industry-changing technology autonomously navigates through an orchard using sensors to collect data tree by tree. Once in the hands of the grower, the information elevates water management based on need and timing.

“The goal is to improve the way [growers] use water so they don’t have to abandon agriculture in some areas,” says Elia Scudiero , associate professor of precision agriculture and the director of University of California, Riverside’s Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment .

How The Robotic System Predicts Moisture Tree-by-Tree

The robot travels through an orchard measuring the soil electrical conductivity, which shows how easily electricity flows through the soil based on moisture, salt, clay and other factors. The technology then pairs this data with fixed moisture sensors to predict the water content across an entire orchard.

“Using this method, growers will finally know how much water they have, and how much they need, and can water specific trees if they’re dry,” Scudiero says.

Currently, some growers determine when to irrigate by relying on soil moisture sensors in the ground. However, these sensors are only installed in a few locations, leaving farmers to guess the conditions of hundreds or thousands of trees.

“The information those sensors provide is very limited,” Scudiero says. “It really only tells you what’s happening in the immediate areas where they’re placed.”

Protect Tree Health Through Precise Moisture Management

California’s strict regulations for water use in agriculture call for precise and efficient management. The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, passed in 2014, requires local agencies to reduce groundwater overdraft and achieve sustainable use by 2040.

“If water becomes limited, farmers have two choices,” Scudiero says. “They can retire orchards, or they can find ways to produce the same crops using less water.”

The right moisture level is vital for the plant’s health to avoid stress and vulnerabilities to pests and diseases. It’s a balance because having too much water can deprive the tree’s roots of oxygen.

Nutrient Efficiency Comes Into Play

Targeting water use and timing is also beneficial for nutrient management.

“If you apply only the amount of water the plants actually need, you reduce the risk of washing those nutrients away from the roots of the crops and into the environment,” Scudiero says.

The robot is currently being tested at UC Riverside’s research farm. The next step is to work with local farmers to expand testing before making it commercially available.

Futurist Jim Carroll: Turn Global Volatility into Produce Opportunity

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 22:30:10 GMT

TORONTO — Futurist Jim Carroll started his keynote session at the Canadian Produce Marketing Association’s Annual Convention and Trade Show with a dose of stark reality at the rapid pace of change: “It is estimated that 65% of kids who are in preschool today will work in a job or career that does not yet exist because there’s so much new knowledge, so much new discovery, so much new science, so many new innovations.”

He asked attendees whether or not they were prepared for this reality.

“Are you putting in place strategies that are for a horse-drawn carriage era and we’re already paving the next superhighway of the future?” he says. “The future belongs to those who are fast. It’s not what you’ve done in the past that defines your success. It’s your speed. It’s your agility. It’s your ability to align to a fast-paced future that really defines where you can go.”

Carroll says what complicates not only a future view but also tracking trends is that trends can simmer for a long time before emerging hard and fast.

Farming Without a Sunset

“Take the issue of robotics,” he says. “We’ve been talking about precision farming for decades — a lot of experimentation going on with robotics, ... and all of a sudden, that trend can suddenly accelerate and mature and become very real. And it takes us into a world in which we are no longer restricted to farming when the sun is up, but we can farm 24 hours a day because robotics and artificial intelligence and advanced precision agriculture take us into a world in which we can suddenly do the inconceivable because it has become possible.”

Carroll says this also is going to happen for the fresh produce industry in production, packaging and more, where ideas that are almost inconceivable will become mainstream.

“We are now in a situation in which companies that do not yet exist will build products not yet conceived, using materials not yet invented, with methodologies not yet in existence, with ideas yet to be imagined,” he says. “Who is out there with a revolutionary idea that is going to come to the world of agriculture?”

Carroll likens this to the world of “The Jetsons” TV show, which depicted what the world would look like in 2063. However, a lot of the innovations, including smart watches, smart devices, drones and more are already in place.

“We thought the future was far away. ... It arrived 50 years early,” he says.

Carroll says it’s the pace of change that is incredibly important for the industry to think about and prepare for.

Adapting to the Impossible

Carroll says someone once said that 65% of the knowledge humans have currently will be obsolete in two years, so learning is incredibly important.

The world is going through an era of impossible realities and extreme global volatilities, he says, noting that during economic downturns or periods of uncertainty, 60% of organizations barely survive, 30% disappear but 10% become breakthrough performers.

Carroll says those organizations that double down on innovation during stormy times will become profitable, which he calls “resilience done right.”

“We can panic, we can do nothing, or we can innovate, change and adapt,” he says. “That is your secret for going forward.”

AI, of course, is a significant trend in the industry that will change everything. He says AI, coupled with machine learning and vision, will change the world. During the presentation, he showed a video of a robot that was given a prompt to pick up the extinct thing on a table of items. Within seconds, it had identified a dinosaur.

“That is the future of robotics which is going to change your world,” he says. “We take apart the world of agriculture and robotics and AI and think about the acceleration of precision farming.”

Capturing Attention Span

Consumers today have shorter attention spans, which means produce companies have limited opportunity to draw a shopper’s focus. Carroll says that while millennials might have a rather short attention span, it’s about 6.5 seconds for Gen Z and roughly 4.2 seconds for Gen Alpha.

“What are you doing with your packaging? What are you doing with your branding? What are you doing with your marketing that is trying to grab those momentary moments?” he says. “What are you going to do to continue to innovate in the context in which we no longer have no attention span whatsoever?”

Complicated packaging is out the window; it has to be easy to understand and simple.

“Simplicity is the new pathway forward,” Carroll says. “Your package has to be drop-dead simple.”

And it needs to be innovative. He points to StarKist, which transitioned from tuna in cans to pouches and saw a $200 million sales uplift in the first year.

“What’s your tin can? Where are you bringing out a package because you brought it out in that package for the last 110 years and [where] you are not taking advantage of all the new packaging opportunities that are floating around you as a huge opportunity for innovation, trying to capture the attention of that consumer who no longer has an attention span,” he says.

Prescribing the Grocery List

Carroll says fresh produce also has entered a world of programmable food consumption, where consumers track micros and macros and everything is available on their smartwatch. He says there may come a time when the smart device tells its wearer what to eat and when based on the data it’s tracking.

“This might lead to a world in which your groceries are prescribed to your exact biology,” he says.

Innovate in Uncertainty

Carroll says during a period of supply chain, tariffs and other volatility and uncertainty, the produce industry has the opportunity to see the situation differently.

“You can panic, you can do nothing, or you can innovate, change and adapt,” he says. “You need to wake up every single morning, [and] look at the world as one of opportunity, not threat.”

44 Million Acres: The New Frontier of Farm Consolidation and Growth

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 18:01:17 GMT

At the 2026 Top Producer Summit , Farm Journal Intelligence unveiled new farmland insights derived from predictive modeling and deep-data analysis. The research focused on the shifting landscape of land acquisition, identifying which operations are at risk of consolidation, who is positioned for growth and where the most significant opportunities lie.

Here are the six primary findings for farm businesses:

1. Scale Does Not Immune Operations from Consolidation.

(Farm Journal)

While smaller operations face the highest risk — with 58% of small farms “at risk” for sale or acquisition before 2030 — size is not a complete safeguard. Research shows the risk of consolidation or ownership transfer never drops below 27%, even for the largest operations. Furthermore, crop diversity made minimal impact on these odds; the likelihood of transition remains constant whether a farm produces one crop or more than 11.

2. Geography Trumps Diversification.

(Farm Journal)

Regional location is increasingly becoming a primary driver of financial success, often outweighing the benefits of operational diversification. As regional market divides grow, farmers and ranchers are finding that local market conditions and individual circumstances dictate their trajectory more. State-level or even county-level effects are more indicative of their situation than national trends.

3. The 44-Million-Acre Transition.

(Farm Journal)

Nearly 15% of American cropland is projected to change hands within the next three years, driven by generational transfers, continued consolidation and economic pressures. Farm Journal data identifies the Midwest as the epicenter of this shift, with roughly 12 million acres likely to transition. Nationwide, that total reaches a staggering 44 million acres.

4. Mapping the “Sweet Spot” for Expansion.

(Farm Journal)

By plotting cost per cropland acre against the volume of land likely to transition, clear opportunities for expansion emerge. For producers looking to grow their footprint, the most viable opportunities are currently concentrated in Kansas, Texas, North Dakota, Missouri, and Oklahoma, according to this research.

5. Integrity Is the Top Currency in Rental Markets.

(Farm Journal)

When more than 400 landowners were surveyed about tenant selection, integrity ranked as the most critical factor. Interestingly, age was reported as the least important factor. For producers looking to secure rented ground, a reputation for character and experience outweighs both seniority and youth.

6. The “Willingness” Factor in Technology.

(Farm Journal)

Producers most inclined to expand share a common trait: a higher comfort level and rate of adoption with technology. Crucially, this is not necessarily tied to technical skill or existing expertise, but rather to mindset and action. The most growth-oriented producers are defined by their willingness to try new technologies rather than their current mastery of them.

Download the Full Report

EPA Backs Farmers, Affirms Right to Repair Equipment

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 22:41:20 GMT

EPA issued new right-to-repair guidance on Monday, clarifying how the Clean Air Act applies to non-road diesel equipment. It’s a move EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin says is intended to end years of confusion and misuse of the law that has limited farmers’ ability to fix their own machinery.

“Unfortunately, equipment manufacturers have misused the Clean Air Act by falsely claiming that environmental laws prevented them from making essential repair tools or software available to all Americans,” he says. “Because of this misinterpretation of the law, manufacturers have limited the ability of farmers and independent repair shops to repair equipment.”

How Much Will Right to Repair Save the Average Farm?

According to Kelly Loeffler, Small Business Administration (SBA) administrator, the savings could be $48 billion across agriculture. For an individual farm, that could mean:

$33,000 in savings per repair
$3,000 to $4,000 in potential yield losses avoided due to reduced downtime
10% reduction in annual operating costs
Up to 80% reduction in repair costs annually

Loeffler says savings come from avoiding dealer-only repairs, reducing downtime during critical fieldwork windows, and eliminating transportation and labor delays tied to authorized service requirements.

The news came as a joint announcement on Feb. 2 with Loeffler as well as USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins.

“Today we are issuing guidance out of the Trump EPA to make abundantly clear that if you own your farm and other non-road diesel equipment, you have the right to fix it,” Zeldin says. “This might seem like a no-brainer, but ask any American farmer and they will tell you about the headaches and costly hassles that they have been forced to endure at the hands of equipment manufacturers.”

Zeldin says manufacturers have relied on what he calls a false interpretation of the Clean Air Act to restrict access to repair tools, software and diagnostic systems. He says today’s announcement will make that new guidance clear.

What EPA’s Announcement Didn’t Include? A Complete Rollback of DEF

Following today’s right-to-repair announcement, Farm Journal asked EPA why the administration isn’t also removing Diesel Exhaust Fluid, or DEF, requirements for farm equipment. Farmers have long cited DEF as a major contributor to rising equipment costs, particularly compared with competitors in Brazil, for example. In summer 2025, EPA issued guidance relaxing DEF “inducement” requirements, and today’s announcement focuses on allowing farmers to temporarily override DEF when making repairs.

In response, EPA says the agency is actively building on last summer’s DEF guidance.

“As Administrator Zeldin mentioned on today’s press call, EPA is actively working to build upon the DEF guidance the agency issued this summer,” the press office wrote. “EPA understands DEF is a major issue facing farmers, truck drivers and equipment operators. The agency will be making an announcement on DEF in the near future.”

This indicates that while today’s right-to-repair guidance stops short of changing DEF rules, additional updates could be coming soon.

Downtime, Dealer Dependence and Lost Productivity

Zeldin says farmers are often forced to rely exclusively on authorized dealerships for repairs, even during critical times like during planting and harvest when downtime costs farmers time and money.

“Instead of a farmer being able to fix their own equipment in the field or bring it down the road to their local repair shop, farmers have been forced to rely solely on authorized dealers for essential repairs, which are not always close by,” he says. “For farmers, timing is everything. When equipment breaks down during planting or harvesting, delays can result in thousands of dollars in lost productivity.”

He adds that the financial burden goes beyond inconvenience.

“Being forced to haul machinery to a certified dealership, pay higher prices for repairs and wait in line; it’s not just inconvenient,” Zeldin says. “It can prove to be very economically damaging.”

The Future of DEF: Is an Emissions Rollback Coming?

This latest right-to-repair announcement builds on action taken by the Trump administration in August 2025, when EPA issued guidance addressing diesel exhaust fluid, or DEF, system failures in farm equipment. The 2025 guidance aimed to address widespread frustration among farmers with Tier 4 emissions technology, while maintaining long-term environmental protections.

Prior to that announcement, in early June, John Deere sent a letter to EPA, asking the agency to clarify that temporary emissions overrides are allowed. In response, EPA issued guidance on Aug. 12 and later urged DEF system software updates to prevent sudden shutdowns, helping farmers and equipment operators make repairs without losing productivity or safety.

The new right-to-repair guidance announced today by EPA, USDA and SBA aims to extend this administration’s approach by clarifying farmers’ ability to make essential repairs themselves, which they claim will further improve reliability, efficiency and cost savings on the farm.

If you go back to the Trump administration’s original announcement last summer, EPA said it would allow manufacturers to update DEF system software to prevent abrupt power loss in tractors, trucks and other diesel machinery. The goal was to reduce “red tape” and prevent equipment shutdowns during critical planting and harvest periods, while still maintaining emissions controls.

Key aspects of the 2025 DEF guidance included:

Reduced Derating: Instead of immediate, severe speed and power reductions when DEF levels are low or sensors fail, engines could now slow down more gradually, reducing disruption in the field.
“Soft” Power Loss for New Models: For 2027 and later models, engines were required not to shut down or lose power abruptly if DEF ran out.
Software Fixes for Existing Equipment: Manufacturers could issue software updates to ensure older machinery properly handled low-DEF scenarios.
No Deleting Permitted: Emissions equipment could not be removed, and the guidance did not legalize deleting any system.

EPA says the announcement meant tractors and machinery were less likely to experience sudden, catastrophic power loss, which would reduce downtime.

USDA: Right to Repair Is Important for Everyday Farm Operations

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins says the administration has been working on the guidance for months because of its importance to everyday farm operations.

“We have been working on today’s guidance now for a while because we know how much it means for the everyday farmer,” Rollins says. “The right to repair isn’t just a slogan. It’s a common-sense extension of the God-given right to private property.”

Rollins ties equipment downtime directly to food production and national security.

“Every single day our farmers feed us, they fuel us, they clothe us,” she says. “But when that equipment breaks down and remains out of operation, it means crops aren’t planted or harvested, mouths aren’t fed, and America’s economic growth and national security are put at risk.”

She says farmers overwhelmingly agree they should be able to repair their own equipment, an issue USDA has been hearing since President Trump took office more than a year ago.

“Farmers shouldn’t be forced to haul their equipment to specialized and costly repair shops when they could be making those repairs on their own,” Rollins says. “An overwhelming majority of farmers, north of 95%, agree with that statement.”

What Does the New EPA Right to Repair Guidance Allow?

Zeldin stresses the guidance does not weaken emissions standards or change the Clean Air Act.

“It does not change the law, and it does not reduce compliance obligations,” he says. “What it does do is stop the law from being misused to block common-sense repairs.”

The guidance clarifies that equipment owners may temporarily override emissions systems — including diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) systems — when necessary to complete a repair, as long as the equipment is returned to compliance.

“At times, a tractor might just stop working altogether in the middle of harvest because of a DEF issue,” Zeldin says. “This allows farmers to fix broken DEF systems right there at home or in the field.”

SBA: ‘Huge Relief’ with Measurable Savings

Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler says the guidance delivers significant, quantifiable savings for farmers.

“I’m the product of one of the 1.9 million farms in this great nation that feed, fuel and clothe our country,” Loeffler says. “Diesel exhaust fluid and now right to repair — these are huge-relief, common-sense reforms.”

Loeffler says SBA economists worked to quantify the impact farm by farm.

“In the aggregate, this is about a $48 billion savings,” she says. “It’s about $33,000 per repair.”

She adds that downtime drives additional losses.

“The loss of yield could be up to $3,000 to $4,000 for the average farm,” Loeffler says. “That’s time spent leaving the field, missing a window of dry weather and dealing with delays in parts and labor.”

According to Loeffler, the guidance could reduce annual operating costs by roughly 10% and cut repair costs dramatically.

“This could potentially reach an 80% annual reduction in the cost of repairs,” she says. “And we know those repairs are getting even more expensive.”

John Deere Say’s EPA’s Guidance Responds to Formal Request

John Deere says the EPA’s right-to-repair guidance directly responds to a formal request the company made to the agency in June 2025 .

In a statement, John Deere says it sought updated guidance from EPA to expand repair options for customers and independent technicians while still ensuring compliance with federal emissions requirements.

“John Deere appreciates today’s action by EPA Administrator Zeldin, which responds directly to a formal request made by the company in June 2025,” the company says. “John Deere sought this updated guidance from the EPA with the intent to further increase customers’ and independent repair technicians’ repair capabilities while ensuring compliance with EPA requirements and guidance.”

The company says its request aligns with its long-standing position that customers should have flexibility in how their equipment is repaired.

“John Deere’s request to the EPA is consistent with the company’s longstanding commitment to supporting customer choice on how equipment is repaired — whether through their trusted John Deere dealer, with a local service provider, or by doing the work themselves,” the statement says.

John Deere adds that in light of the updated EPA guidance, it plans to roll out new repair functionality for customers.

“The temporary inducement override capability will soon be made available to John Deere customers through Operations Center™ PRO Service,” the company says, describing the platform as an enhanced digital repair tool that provides diagnostic, repair and reprogramming capabilities.

The company says additional information about the tool is available through its website.

Trump Administration Frames Announcement as Farmer Choice and Independence

All three officials frame the announcement as centered on farmer independence.

“This is about fairness, competition and independence,” Zeldin says. “Farmers should be able to choose where and how their equipment is repaired.”

“In America, the timely, affordable maintenance of agricultural equipment should not be a luxury,” Rollins says. “It should be a given.”

“And coming from a multigenerational farm family, this issue is very personal,” Loeffler says. “We’re going to continue to make sure farmers get the regulatory relief they deserve.”

Is The Death of DEF Coming Soon?

While today’s announcement is another step in reducing regulations and emissions standards, EPA didn’t go as far as to eliminate DEF requirements on farm equipment, but told Farm Journal an announcement on that is coming soon.

Industry analysts say a rollback of federal emissions requirements on machinery could send shockwaves through both the new and used equipment markets, though exactly how depends on how far any policy would go and how manufacturers respond.

Greg Peterson, widely known as “Machinery Pete,” says the biggest immediate impact would be on used equipment values, particularly older, pre-emissions models that farmers already favor.

Emissions Rollback Could Reshape Machinery Markets, Analysts Say

Peterson points to years of auction data showing strong demand, as well as rising prices for good-condition pre-DEF tractors and combines, even during tight grain markets. If emissions rules were suddenly relaxed, he says the industry would be entering uncharted territory.

“The wild card is what happens to that one-, two-, three-, four-, five- and six-year-old equipment that’s already out there,” Peterson says. “It would be unprecedented.”

Opportunity and Uncertainty for Dealers and OEMs

While that uncertainty could create short-term friction, Peterson also sees opportunity. If manufacturers were allowed to build simpler machines again, it could align more closely with what many farmers are already voting for with their checkbooks.

“That’s what farmers want,” Peterson says, noting the continued premium buyers are willing to pay for older machines without complex emissions systems.

He adds that such a shift could be “an unbelievable opportunity” for both manufacturers and dealers, depending on how quickly and cleanly changes could be implemented at the factory level.

Manufacturers Unlikely to Fully Abandon Emissions Systems

Casey Seymour, host of the ‘ Moving Iron ’ podcast, agrees the used equipment market could benefit, but he’s skeptical manufacturers would abandon emissions technology altogether.

Seymour says the bigger issue for OEMs is regulatory whiplash. Environmental rules can change dramatically from one administration to the next, making it risky to retool factories for non-emissions machines only to reverse course a few years later.

“I don’t see a manufacturer of any color completely stepping back and saying we’re not going to worry about this anymore,” Seymour says.

Flexibility Could Boost Used Equipment Values

Instead, if EPA would decide to roll back emissions standards, Seymour envisions machines leaving the factory “emissions-ready,” giving farmers flexibility down the road. If deleting emissions systems became legal, equipment could be modified and resold without violating regulations, opening new possibilities in the secondary market.

That shift, Seymour says, could actually strengthen used equipment values. Demand for legally modified machines could rise, and farmers would no longer need to remove emissions components illegally.

Both analysts agree the used market would likely react first to any regulatory change, while new equipment pricing may remain largely unchanged unless manufacturers gain long-term certainty on emissions policy.

Field Trends 2025 Signal a Precision Push in Specialty Crops

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 21:22:21 GMT

For specialty crop growers, 2025 marked a turning point. Faced with tighter margins, labor shortages and heightened sensitivity to off-target applications, growers leaned harder than ever into precision agriculture, according to Arthur Erickson, CEO and co-founder of Hylio. While adoption once lagged due to concerns around payload, accuracy and drift, those barriers are quickly disappearing, Erickson says.

Specialty crop operations, from citrus and berries to nursery and tree fruit, made notable strides in adopting spray drones and autonomous tools in 2025. Erickson estimates Hylio alone saw roughly a 30% increase in specialty crop adoption year-over-year, driven by advances in drone payload capacity and GPS accuracy.

“Specialty crops are really sensitive,” Erickson says. “You can’t have drift from one field to a neighbor who might have a nursery or another sensitive crop.”

Improved RTK (real-time kinematic) precision and larger-capacity drones addressed earlier concerns, making targeted applications feasible even in smaller, high-value fields, Erickson says.

While both row and specialty crop growers faced a learning curve, Erickson says the shift was often more pronounced for specialty operations. Higher dollars per acre and greater crop sensitivity demanded a more disciplined approach to application.

Arthur Erickson, CEO and co-founder of Hylio

(Photo courtesy of Hylio)

“They’re having to implement high-resolution scanning with drones or satellites, use AI tools to analyze that data and then apply only to problem areas,” Erickson says. “They can’t just throw stuff at the wall anymore.”

This precision-first mindset allows growers to protect crop quality while reducing unnecessary chemical use — a key concern in specialty markets.

Erickson says in specialty crops, drones often serve as force multipliers rather than substitutes to the labor force. Many operations simply lack enough skilled workers to execute the number of applications required for optimal crop health, he says.

“You might have two or three people you really trust, but they only have so much bandwidth,” Erickson says. “With drones, one person can do the work of five.”

That capability allows specialty growers to increase application frequency, sometimes from what they could manage to the 12 to 20 passes a crop might actually need, without adding staff.

The Year Ahead: Precision as a Survival Strategy

Looking forward, Erickson sees flexibility and responsiveness as critical for specialty crop success. With market volatility and input cost swings likely to continue, the ability to adapt quickly will separate profitable operations from those struggling to keep up.

“Precision tools are less capital-intensive and much easier to pivot with,” Erickson says. “They let growers respond to whatever the season throws at them.”

While some economic analyses from the row crop world suggest autonomy isn’t broadly cost-competitive with average labor rates, only becoming advantageous when labor costs exceed about $44 per hour, Erickson believes that framework doesn’t fully capture how specialty crop growers are using the technology.

“Specialty crops are less about swapping out one hour of labor for one hour of autonomous machine time,” he says. “Growers are using these tools to get better timing, reduce drift risk, improve crop quality and expand what one crew can do in a day — those benefits aren’t always reflected in a simple labor cost equation.”

This positions autonomy as a tool for value creation, and not just a labor cost substitute, in high-value specialty systems.

Questions to Get Into the Nitty-Gritty Details on Ag Tech

Fri, 12 Dec 2025 22:39:35 GMT

Editor’s note: This is the third of a series on questions growers should ask before investing in new ag tech. Because fresh produce is a high-value segment of agriculture, there are a lot of options available to spend money on, but asking the right questions before a purchase can save time, money and headache.

OK, you’ve decided on a general genre of new tech that might improve things on your operation. You might even be looking at specific items, systems, services or suppliers. Maybe you’ve even made contact with a seller and are considering something specific. But there are some general questions you should ask about it first.

No. 1: Ask all the detail questions for the future

This is a bit of a cheat because it’s actually a bunch of questions. Still, it helps to think about the nitty-gritty, small-print details that can impact the beginning (and potential end) of your relationship with items of ag tech and the companies that make them before investing.

These questions might include:

Does the company have a customer success team? Ongoing training for its products?
For physical tech, what is the warranty? What voids that warranty?
For apps or programs, what is the subscription model? What’s included in this subscription versus that subscription? What happens if I end my subscription?
For anything that generates data, who owns that data? Do I have access to it? Who else has access to it?

Charlie Anderson, CEO of autonomous robot company Burro AI, recommends growers look for companies that have customer success teams, i.e. dedicated people whose job it is to make sure their company’s tech works for you and is meeting your needs. It’s especially important they get into the field with clients, he adds.

“If [they’re] not on site, it’s really hard to know what’s actually going on,” he says, pointing to his own company’s emphasis on having Spanish-speaking customer support teams that work directly with grower’s on-the-ground crews.

Steve Mantle — CEO and founder of Innov8.ag, a data-and-AI-focused tech consulting group that works with permanent crop produce growers — says growers should ask a lot of nuanced detail questions for any piece of ag tech that involves data or uses a subscription model. By their very nature, subscription-based services are likely to be transient, so keep the likely end of that relationship in mind with your questions before you ever sign up.

“If I stop subscribing, can I pull the data out?” he gives as an example. “A critical piece that often growers don’t ask is: What does that look like in terms of pulling the data out? Is it actually usable to me in the future?”

Mantle points out there are many different data formats out there, and they aren’t all created equal when it comes to usability. How human-readable is it? How machine-readable is it? Asking questions about data format beforehand could prevent a situation where a company technically turns your data over to you, but functionally leaves you with something unusuable.

No. 2: What happens when something goes wrong?

Along a similar mindset, it’s important to ask questions about what happens when something fails. This again can involve a number of questions growers should ask their supplier before investing:

Are you (or your service technicians) local?
What kind of repair or maintenance services do you offer?
What are the usual maintenance costs and needs of this item?
How user-friendly is fixing this thing if I need to do it myself?

Dan Ovadya — co-founder and CEO of FloraGen Tech, an ag tech innovation company for the controlled environment agriculture industry — stresses how important it is to ask questions about replacement parts for anything you’re investing in.

“Let’s say you’re going to invest in a very high-end fertigation system,” he offers as an example. “We’re talking water treatment, multiple injectors, a lot of different stock tanks and sensor equipment to monitor pH and EC. And when that stuff breaks in a controlled environment hydroponic system, you have less than 24 hours to correct that problem.”

“If you call up a Dutch company and they’re like, ‘well, it’s a holiday now and we’re out of the office, and we’ll get into you in three weeks,’ no — your crop’s going to be dead by then,” he says.

But even outside the realm of CEA, the question of parts availability can even be something as simple as what sizing system is involved.

“You even start getting into metric system versus U.S. units for things like irrigation,” Ovadya says. “If something breaks and you’re in metric system, you’re not going to [be able to] run down to the hardware store and fix that.”

No. 3: How will this work with what I already have?

Unless you are in the unique positions of either starting a produce operation from scratch or completely revamping your entire operation, you already have tech systems.

Roy Levinson, commercial lead for digital farming and water meters at Netafim North America, stresses that the right new ag tech investment will complement a grower’s existing systems and infrastructure, not clash with it. So, making sure any new tech items will “play nice” with the old is a must.

Speaking from the perspective of irrigation management systems like Netafim provides, he says: “The right system should integrate with your current valves, flow meters and sensors, so you can phase in your tech at the pace you prefer. Technology that builds on your operation’s strengths will serve your operations now and in the long run as it evolves.”

Also speaking from a service perspective of ag tech, Mark Lukenbill — commercial leader at MileMaker, a trucking-focused software solutions arm of Rand McNally — stresses the need to make sure any program or data system you select can grow with you and your operation. For example, if you don’t already have a cloud-based strategy, does the supplier have an on-premises service now with the ability to go to the cloud later?

“That’s something that everybody’s going to have to do at some point,” he says.

He recommends some other questions along a similar line, including:

Can the app or program be configured to the needs of my business?
Will I have to change how I do things to use this program/service?
Will the provider continue to release new features that are going to help my operation keep improving?

“There’s going to be a level where it plateaus,” Lukenbill says of new systems. “I’m going to see savings in that first year, maybe even the second year, but then what about year three through 10?”

No. 4: Will this make me stand out from my competition?

Or, phrased another way: How will this help my relationship with my clients?

Speaking from the world of trucking and logistics, Lukenbill says every single day companies that need to move produce get calls saying, ‘Hey, I can do it better. I can do it cheaper. I can give you better service. Give me a shot.’

“So, what’s going to make you stand out?” he asks. “Is it going to create a competitive advantage with your client? Are there benefits for your client?”

He recommends those looking to invest in new ag tech think about how a potential investment can help their relationship with their clients. He also suggests they think about how they can use that investment in conversations with clients, something like ‘Hey, we’re implementing this new technology, and here’s how it’s going to help me serve you better.”

No. 5: Why am I thinking of investing in THIS new tech?

Chris Higgins — general manager of Hort Americas, a components and materials supplier for CEA growers — says when he was trained in sales, he was taught to focus on why a prospective client wanted to buy something.

“Do they want to buy something because they like to be the leaders in tech?” he asks. “Are they techies? Do they want to buy something because they’ve witnessed their four other neighbors buy it? Do they have a true problem that they need to solve?”

All of these different reasons are justifiable, he adds. But it helps to know what your individual motivations are for any given piece of new ag tech before you purchase or subscribe.

“The right solutions for tech for each company vary. I don’t think there’s one path to success in this, and we’re all comfortable making investments for different reasons,” he says. “So, my closing comment is: Really do it for what’s important to you.”

Catch the rest of the Tech Questions series here:

Ready to Invest in Ag Tech? 5 ROI Questions to Ask First

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 12:32:24 GMT

Editor’s note: This is the second of a series on questions growers should ask before investing in new ag tech. Because fresh produce is a high-value segment of agriculture, there are a lot of options available to spend money on, but asking the right questions before a purchase can save time, money and headache.

Once the existential questions are out of the way, any grower thinking about new ag tech needs to turn a questioning mind to the balance sheets; specifically, the question of return on investment.

Aaron Fields, CEO of Campo Caribe, a Caribbean-based controlled environment agriculture company, told attendees of a summer webinar hosted by Indoor Ag Conversations that every ag tech decision has to revolve around ROI.

“Is this helping my lettuce, my plant, my produce, grow faster so that I can create more in a set amount of time? Or is it taking away cost to add value because I can’t necessarily make that lettuce worth more money to somebody else, but I can produce it cheaper?” he asked.

His questions highlighted the four key areas of focus in a technology audit : grow revenue, increase productivity, reduce costs and make operations smoother. If a technology doesn’t impact one of those, he said growers really have to question whether it’s worth it.

He explained: “I think everyone should ask themselves that when making any decision: What’s the ROI on this, and does it really make my life better?”

Asking what is the ROI can be a bit daunting, however, given its centrality to an operation. Here are some ROI-focused questions to ask yourself when zeroing in on a new piece of ag tech.

No. 1: Where will I likely see the highest ROI, anyway?

As mentioned in the first installment of this series, Chris Higgins, general manager of Hort Americas, a components and materials supplier for CEA growers, recommends growers look to their expenses. There they can find where any improvement, especially technological, will most likely be worth their time.

“If you have something that’s allocated as 1% of your expenses, maybe that’s not worth trying to fix today,” he says. “If it falls in that 1% of cost category, you can probably go make that money back faster by just selling more product at a higher price.”

If it represents, say, 50% of expenses, then that’s an area where even a small bit of improvement will pay off, he adds. That translates to a higher likelihood of ROI. Alternatively, he recommends looking at expense areas that have an outsized impact on yield as a potential area where a good ROI is likely.

“I like to take it back to their income statement and their profit and loss statement, because that then helps that small business entrepreneur determine if it’s worth their time,” he says. “If they can identify the things that are most important to them, the tasks that might seem very daunting become more important.”

No. 2: What level of tech is needed?

Say the problem you’re trying to solve or the goal you’re trying to achieve has pointed you toward, for example, some level of CEA. Would you invest in a proverbial (or literal) glasshouse when a high tunnel would work? Of course not.

“If you want to grow 100,000 pounds of tomatoes, you can grow it in a high-tech glass house, a semi-closed, a retractable roof, a poly house, a tunnel or a field,” Richard Vollebregt, CEO of greenhouse roof company Cravo Equipment Ltd., said during the webinar. “They all grow 100,000 pounds of tomatoes, but how much capital did you need to grow them? And what was your cost per pound to grow that tomato?”

He noted that most consumers and retailers don’t care about the specifics of how a piece of produce was grown, so long as it meets spec, is there when it needs to be and is available at an acceptable price. With that in mind, he said growers need to focus on the finances involved with growing.

“You need to figure out what is the profitable production system that’s going to make your capex [capital expenditures] efficient and minimize your opex [operating expenses] and hit the highest price window you can to generate the most revenue per acre or per hectare,” Vollebregt said. “It doesn’t matter what crop or what country you’re in, that’s the fundamental starting point.”

No. 3: Will it help me prevent problems before they get expensive?

Going back to the four key focuses of a technology audit, Roy Levinson, commercial lead for digital farming and water meters at Netafim North America, recommends looking to reduce expenses by proactively preventing problems before they start — or at least before they get expensive — with potential new ag-tech items.

“Some of the most significant unwanted expenses in fresh produce operations come from avoidable issues, like missed fertigation windows, leaky valves, burned-out pumps or nutrient imbalances,” he says.

Some of the most practical technology, and thereby most likely to have a good ROI, for dealing with these issues “will give you the visibility and control to catch problems when they happen,” he adds.

“Alerts can be set up to warn you, for example, when the operating pressure drops or irrigation schedules conflict or give you reminders for routine maintenance,” Levinson says. “This round-the-clock monitoring frees people up so they can focus on evaluating growth rates, emitter checks or other high-value tasks.”

No. 4: Is the ROI compelling for my operation?

Charlie Anderson, CEO of autonomous robot company Burro AI, says that a lot of growers start with the question “will this piece of tech work for my operation technically?” where the focus is on the “working technically” part of the question. But almost anything can be made to work technically, he says.

Instead, he recommends growers assume the technology will work technically and ask if it will work financially and logistically for them.

“Oftentimes, the technology working is actually a much smaller portion of the risk. And the larger portion of the risk is, if the technology works, can it yield a compelling return in my operation? And can it do it in the real world with real world people, not something that is more of a pilot?”

He advises growers identify their operation’s best use-case for a potential piece of new ag tech, particularly since most tech can do far more than one thing, and that can be a distraction.

“Generally speaking, it works best to figure out a high-utilization job that has to be done for many months out of the year, and preferably one that is easy to start with,” he says. “Begin by proving out the technology from a return perspective and also by proving it out to your team or to your crew.”

No. 5: Do I have the time to see the ROI?

Not all tech ROI is as easy to determine, either because of the tech itself or because of the operation to which it might be applied. Extended time commitments might be required to realize the ROI on a piece of tech, says James Reid, founder, owner and CEO of South African precision ag orchard machinery manufacturing company Red Ant Agri.

“In an annual environment, every year you can literally measure against the last year and against your neighbors and industry norms,” he says. “When you come to a perennial crop, like a fruit tree, you’ve now got to have a bit of faith because it’s going to take two or three years of doing the same things right before you’re going to see a difference.”

Even in an ideal situation where a new piece of machinery or a new process or management program is implemented well and is making good changes, those changes won’t likely be obvious overnight, Reid says.

“So, are you prepared to take this on as a medium to long-term commitment?” he asks.

Catch the rest of the Tech Questions series here:

AgZen, Corteva Team up on AI-Powered, Retrofit Sprayer Tech

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 16:10:42 GMT

AgZen announces an agreement with Corteva to further “explore the commercial potential” of AgZen’s AI-powered crop spraying optimization technology, RealCoverage.

The news comes on the heels of Corteva’s big announcement on Oct. 1 , detailing the crop protection multinational’s plan to split its crop protection and seeds businesses.

AgZen, a tech startup spun out of MIT, is making a name for itself by pioneering feedback optimization for spray applications — a new approach the company thinks has potential to improve farmer outcomes and reduce crop input costs.

(AgZen)

AgZen’s first product, RealCoverage, is a retrofit kit that can be bolted onto any sprayer to measure and optimize the number of drops of agrochemicals applied to crops. The system features a boom-mounted sensor that analyzes the coverage and quality of spray applications in real-time, displaying actionable data to a tablet mounted in the cab. Farmers can use the data to optimize the physical settings on spray rigs, both self-propelled and pull-behind, to increase coverage.

The startup says its system works by leveraging AI and cutting-edge computer vision, and customers have used RealCoverage to save 30% to 50% on input costs.

Farmer Feedback

(AgZen)

Northwest Indiana farmer Bryan Brost slapped a RealCoverage system onto his Hagie STS 16 high-clearance sprayer to use on his waxy corn and soybean crops. He says it has helped boost his spray program efficiency overall by reducing application rates while maintaining optimal coverage throughout his 12,000-acre operation.

“The payback came in the first year,” he tells Farm Journal via text message. “We have increased our acres [covered] per day with less hours on the machine, the operator and the nurse tanks supplying product [to the sprayer].”

Corey McIntosh set the technology loose across his 4,000 acre spread in Missouri Valley, Iowa. He is looking forward to using the data to improve his application efficiency across the board. He’s also letting his neighbors and local retailer in on the secret.

“I was getting a chem shuttle refilled at [the] co-op, these guys have always been complimentary of our weed control, I asked them: ‘What percentage of leaf surface area do you think you are covering with your sprayers?’ One of their best operators said he thought 50% coverage. The salesman next to him said it would definitely be more than 60%,” McIntosh says.

“They were shocked when I told them we were at 9% to 10%, but nobody has had ever had a way to quantify this before,” he adds. “We are really looking forward to making improvements.”

Since launching on the market in 2024, AgZen says it covered more than 970,000 commercial acres of application across the U.S. on row crops and specialty crops.

Your Next Read: Breakthrough Fungicide Delivers White Mold Disease Control in Key Crops

Take It Outside: Onetime Indoor Ag Pioneers See Opportunity Out In The Field

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 12:16:34 GMT

For the past year, the team at Soil Action has been working toward building an artificial intelligence driven product to sense soil nutrition in real-time. Whereas other companies have attempted to revolutionize soil testing before, co-founders Jack Oslan and Nate Storey say the AI tools available today are making what was once difficult or nearly impossible, possible.

“Soils are unknown and misunderstood,” Storey says. “We can use AI to understand soil better, and our goal is to come up with the instruments to solve the problem.”

Soil Action’s solution in progress includes building models and training models pairing near infrared spectroscopy with AI. Its goal is to reengineer the traditional process of sampling, shipping, agronomic recommendations, prescription files and applications while making it all in real-time. They are doing on-farm demonstrations this fall.

Before founding Soil Action, these two businessmen first met 12 years ago co-founded indoor agriculture startup Plenty. Storey’s time at Plenty was applying his laser focus on yield with innovation in algorithmic nutrition.

“I went into indoor ag because it was an area with the largest opportunity to drive yield. I have a lot of interest in yield,” he says. “In indoor, you can control everything and measure it–everything can be known in those systems and control every part of the process: root zone temperature, gas composition, and more.”

Now, Storey and Oslan want to bring those learnings outside and into the field.

“We got really good at understanding how to take an algorithmic approach to yield. It’s about understanding the yield equation, breaking it apart, optimizing individual aspects, and restacking them,” Storey says. “In row crops, the soil is the most important part, and to solve the yield equation we have know the variables that correlate and then begin to manage.”

What Does The System Look Like?

Currently, the beta version product is housed in a 3”x6” steel tube which can be mounted on any style of implement or equipment to automatically take measurements 4” to 6” deep every 50’.

(Soil Action)

“The real end goal is to have every equipment cab be mounted with an AI enabled agent to give you real-time measurements of what’s going on in your field,” Storey says. “It’s an AI agent focused on optimizing yield.”

The first testing was conducted in northern Iowa.

“We’re building our models on data collected from the field, and we’re using deep learning to ingest all of the information and help understand correlations,” Oslan says. “We can see everything that’s there, but we don’t understand everything that is there. That’s a focus for our work right now.”

“Holy Grail of Soil Sampling”

When it’s ready to be commercially available, Soil Action aims to provide results measuring two forms of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Other crop nutrients will be added in the future.

“Every expert we talked to said we couldn’t use NIRS in soil sampling, but the physics said we could,” Oslan says. “We took two intensive weeks using sand and manipulating it for measurements with NIRS, and our deep learning models can untangle data in a way classical statistical methods cannot. Now, it’s about how fast we can solve for soil nutrients with these newer tools.”

Soil Action says it aims to provide the equipment to farmers for a hardware fee of $10,000 paired with a subscription for the analysis on an annual fee basis.

Artificial Intelligence Joins The Fight Against Weeds, Insects And Disease

Fri, 08 Aug 2025 13:53:42 GMT

The crop protection industry needs a reboot, according to Tony Klemm.

As CEO of Enko, a crop-protection startup, he says the company is taking a different approach to solving one of agriculture’s biggest problems – developing safe, effective and sustainable crop protection products that can be brought to the marketplace faster and more economically.

Traditional discovery pipelines for herbicides, fungicides, insecticides are not keeping pace with real challenges farmers face, such as resistance issues, he told Chip Flory, host of AgriTalk on Thursday.

A 2024 study funded by Crop Life International reports the costs associated with bringing a new active ingredient to major U.S. and European markets now top $300 million. In addition, the survey says the average lead time between the first synthesis of a new crop protection molecule and its subsequent commercial introduction is now over 12 years.

Part of the long development time required is related to regulatory hurdles. “There’s just increasing demand for meeting environmental safety needs, rightfully so,” Klemm says.

A Paradigm Shift
Enko, based in Mystic, Conn., is using artificial intelligence (AI) and a machine learning discovery platform to guide the company’s research and development efforts. Klemm describes the strategy as a paradigm shift from the current industry practices for how small molecule crop protection discovery has been done.

“We use DNA-encoded libraries, and these libraries allow our scientists to explore this massive, diverse chemical space in a very targeted, automated and expansive way,” he says.

The technology allows Enko scientists to look at billions of molecules and screen them for safety and efficacy and, in the process, develop them faster and more economically.

“We still have to take the regulatory journey that, right now, no one’s figured out a way to expedite,” he notes. “But getting to that regulatory queue faster and better on the front side is really what’s bringing us that cost savings, that efficacy and is going to allow for more products to be put into the regulatory queue in a faster manner.”

Progress To Date
So far, Klemm says Enko has delivered about 50 active programs that cover all facets of weeds, insects and disease. Many use novel or new modes of action that Klemm believes will help farmers fight resistance issues, such as herbicide resistance in Palmer amaranth and pigweed.

“We’re really working on how we can bring new modes of action to farmers, give them fresh tools to win that fight. And our chemistries work using fewer active ingredients, from perspective of the load on the acre, so we’re designing safer chemistry for the future,” he says.

Specifically, Klemm says Enko recently announced a new grass herbicide is in the pipeline for the European cereals market for control of black grass. The company also has conducted field trials for corn and soybean products in the U.S. that he anticipates are five to 10 years away from market launch, depending on how long they take to move through regulatory channels.

Your next read: Bayer Affirms Support of Glyphosate, Optimistic for a Future with Over the Top Dicamba Labels

Right To Repair Granted? John Deere Launches Digital Self-Repair Tool for $195 Per Tractor

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 15:29:05 GMT

In what appears to be a direct response to anti-competition claims raised in the ongoing FCC v. John Deere Right to Repair lawsuit , the equipment manufacturer has released an updated digital service tool to enable equipment owners to maintain, diagnose, repair and protect farm equipment.

The new Operations Center PRO Service tool is available now in John Deere’s Operation Center app to equipment owners in the U.S. and Canada.

John Deere says it will charge farmers an annual license starting at $195 per machine for the tool. The company is charging independent service professionals $5,995.00 per year, which includes up to 10 local downloads.

The increased functionality of the new service tool replaces John Deere’s previous digital service iteration, known as Customer Service ADVISOR. John Deere representatives confirm ADVISOR will be phased out over the next year.

What farmers need to know

John Deere says the new Operations Center PRO Service “delivers digital repair content filtered by year and model number and provides users with additional relevant machine information to help troubleshoot, diagnose and repair Deere equipment. It’s designed to be intuitive and deliver support in real time.”

Here are the new service and repair capabilities within the tool:

Machine health insights and diagnostic trouble codes
PIN-specific machine content, including manuals
Software reprogramming for John Deere controllers
Diagnostic Readings
Diagnostic Recordings
Interactive diagnostic tests
Calibrations

Quick Analysis

If you’ve been following the FCC v. John Deere Right to Repair lawsuit, you may recall FCC’s legal team asking the equipment manufacturer to release a full digital repair and diagnosis tool for farmers and independent service technicians as part of its filed request for injunctive relief.

Related: What Does Right to Repair Really Mean?

Right to Repair advocates and antitrust attorney James Kovac, along with the FCC’s legal team, at the time were critical of the Customer Service ADVISOR, calling it an incomplete diagnostic tool. Kovacs himself says “independent repair pros and the farmers have access to (the tool), but (it) doesn’t give them the full suite of options to repair all the needs of their farming equipment.”

What John Deere is saying about the new tool

“Our development of these tools reaffirms John Deere’s support of customer self-repair,” says Denver Caldwell, vice president of aftermarket and customer support with John Deere. “We view continuously enhancing self-repair as consistent with our mission to ensure John Deere customers have the best machine ownership experience possible.”

What about independent repair technicians?

(John Deere )

In addition to equipment owners, a local service provider can also use Operations Center PRO Service, John Deere says. With a John Deere equipment owner’s permission, independent technicians can gain access to diagnostic and repair information to support the equipment owner’s needs.

(JohnDeere.com screenshot)

On the John Deere online store, it currently lists a Operations Center PRO Service annual license for a “Service Business” as costing $5,995.00 . The license provides for 10 local downloads of the PRO Service application, the listing says.

“Our message to our customers is clear,” Caldwell continues. “Whether you want the support of your professionally trained and trusted John Deere dealer, to work with another local service provider or to fix your machine yourself, we’ve created additional capabilities for you to choose the option that best fits your needs.”

How does it work?

Equipment owners must access Operations Center PRO Service through the John Deere Operations Center. Once connected to the platform, owners will add their equipment into their account using the machine’s serial number. Use of an electronic data link might be required for more advanced features within Operations Center PRO Service, including software reprogramming. Certain interactive tests, calibrations and reprogramming limitations will exist at initial release.

John Deere says it will deliver additional capabilities in future updates. See JohnDeere.com/PROService for further details.

How can I find out more?

Operations Center PRO Service is available today. For more information on how to access all of the digital support tools offered by John Deere, visit Deere.com/RunItYourWay or see your local John Deere dealer.

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3 Questions Every Farmer Should Ask About Biological Products

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 13:53:31 GMT

Pam Marrone, co-founder of Invasive Species Corporation, and previous founder of two additional biological businesses, shared her key takeaways with certified crop advisers during a recent webinar hosted by the Science Societies.

Marrone says there are three areas to evaluate before farmers make an application of a biological product:

Specific use instructions
Science
Data

Specific Use Instructions
“First, read the label,” she says. “When do I use it? What’s the timing? Is there any effect on soil? Can I tank mix it? Can I mix it with fertilizer? Can I mix with other pesticides? Some of the labels I’ve seen can be very specific, and others give you almost no information. So, that’s important. Read the label.”

In reviewing label information, identify if the product is registered with the EPA (which requires a higher level of requirements) or non-registered. Also, the specificity provided on the label is an indicator about the overall product quality and performance.

“There are products that are bugs in the jug, and they have a consortium of microbes in the jug or bag. If the product has 500 or 800, it should be proven why all those specifies are necessary, and if quality control is being done on all 500 species,” Marrone says.

Marrone has been working toward one national certification of products to eliminate any issues with heavy metals or human pathogens being included in formulations.

“Quality control measures need to be robust,” she says.

Science
Marrone says in order to draw a line between “snake oil” and reputable products, the manufacturer and the retailer should be able to explain the science behind the product.

“It’s no longer good enough to just say ‘we have the best microbes,’” she says.

For best placement and performance, Marrone emphasizes the importance of understanding how the biological works.

Data
Marrone encourages farmers to seek out significant proof of field data.

“Small plots don’t always work with biologicals,” she says. “And when you are looking at field data, know where the trials were conducted and what the consistency was.”

Marrone believes today’s biological industry has progressed to a new performance threshold.

“These days, you really want to see a win rate of at least 80%. So, 80% of the time you’re seeing a yield increase of at least 7% —anything below that is just noise,” she says. “I know companies today getting consistent 10% yield increases. That’s where the bar has been raised to.”

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.”

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Sun World partners with Clarifresh to boost quality control

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 18:30:20 GMT

Sun World has formed a strategic partnership with Clarifresh, an AI-powered quality management software for fresh food.

Through this collaboration, Sun World can offer new tools to its network of growers and packer-shippers, starting in Egypt and Italy, which will enable them to optimize quality control processes and drive greater consistency across the supply chain, according to a news release.

By integrating Clarifresh’s quality management technology, Sun World aims to establish a standardized and data-driven approach to quality control, ensuring alignment with the company’s high standards from field to fork, the release said.

“Our objective is to provide our licensees with the most up-to-date tools for quality management and serve as a catalyst for new AI advancements. We’re committed to delivering top-quality grapes to final customers, and this partnership will help us achieve that goal from cultivation to delivery,” said Pablo Gomez, director of quality insights for Sun World.

“This partnership is a significant step forward in improving quality standardization for Sun World’s global network of growers,” said Elad Mardix, CEO and co-founder of Clarifresh. “By leveraging our AI-powered quality management solutions, growers can maintain greater consistency, reduce customer rejections and create a unified framework for assessing quality at every stage — down to the seed level.”

Clarifresh said it continues to establish itself as the industry standard for fresh produce quality control, empowering all stakeholders at every point of the supply chain with real-time insights to ensure product consistency, creating a default, common language for everyone. This partnership further solidifies Clarifresh’s role in transforming how the fresh food industry manages quality at scale, the release said.

Sun World is looking forward to hosting two field days at company headquarters in Bakersfield, Calif., for its licensees; Clarifresh will also be participating in the event and plans to showcase its platform. To learn more about this partnership, visit: sun-world.com/media .

Harvest CROO touts commercially viable automated strawberry harvesting

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 16:26:01 GMT

As the Florida strawberry season concludes, Harvest CROO announced that its automated harvest field trials have successfully demonstrated commercial viability.

Having reached performance rates on par with human harvesting in a commercial picking operation, this achievement represents a major milestone for the company and the future of American agriculture, according to a news release.

Harvest CROO was initially founded to alleviate labor shortages, the company said, adding that the machine in its current iteration has unlocked worlds of new possibilities by converging artificial intelligence (AI) machine learning, innovative food safety technology and advanced breeding techniques.

“We are at the cutting edge of a new AI agricultural revolution, and this technology is ready to scale,” said Gary Wishnatzki, co-founder and owner of Wish Farms. “Strawberries are picked the same way they were over 100 years ago. Harvest CROO is primed to disrupt the multibillion-dollar U.S. strawberry market. The benefits are game changing for strawberries, but its transferability to other specialty crops as well as other industries is very promising.”

Processing power experienced a major leap forward in just the past year. With the use of the latest generation of NVIDIA chips, the platform’s vision processing capability is now a staggering 200 times more powerful. This exponential jump, bundled with Harvest CROO’s 13 patents, AI and advanced robotic technology, has allowed them to attain harvesting on par with humans, the release said.

Farmers, investors and others were on hand to witness a recent field trial, the release said. Among them was Jorge Heraud, co-founder of Blue River Technology, and past vice president of autonomy and automation at John Deere.

“This machine is a technological wonder,” Heraud said. “It is complex, yet productive and efficient. I was extremely impressed by the integration of different technologies. It is a shining example of where robotics in farming is headed.”

Besides providing surety of harvest with the lowest landed cost to growers, the company says the platform has a host of other benefits that bring with it radically improved outcomes for the nation’s economy and food supply. Among other advantages, the machine employs deep data analytic elements that eliminate pathogens, increase yield, improve quality and extend shelf life. This will ultimately make healthy produce more affordable and widely available to the public, the release said.

The machine and its technology are developed and manufactured in America. By onshoring this tech, the U.S. will benefit by having a self-sufficient labor force that will provide better, higher paying jobs at the farms. It will also greatly reduce growers’ dependence on guest workers, facilitating a food supply independent of foreign nations, the release said.

“We started as strawberry picking company, but now we have evolved into an AI machine learning and robotics driven technology company that will enable the transformation of industries far beyond agriculture. The market potential is virtually limitless,” said Joe McGee, CEO for Harvest CROO. “Our proprietary tech has already demonstrated its effectiveness by picking the most complicated crop in agriculture. Now, everything else will just be an engineering problem.”

Carbon Robotics adds autonomous tractor solution

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 18:38:41 GMT

In a move to help growers maximize equipment and address labor shortages, Carbon Robotics launched its Carbon AutoTractor, an autonomous solution installed on existing tractors.

Carbon Robotics’ founder and CEO Paul Mikesell says its Carbon AI will power remotely monitored tractors to help specialty crop growers deploy laser weeders for almost around-the-clock production.

“With LaserWeeder, farmers want to run them as much as they possibly can, but it’s hard to find labor,” he told The Packer. “It’s really hard to find labor to do the tractor driving. It’s hard to find labor to do these late midnight shifts. It’s hard to find people to do all the different tasks you want to do with the tractors.”

The Carbon AutoTractor features two core components: the Carbon Autonomy Kit and the Remote Operations Control Center. Mikesell said operators in ROCC handle any obstructions through monitored autonomy and take over the autonomy system, so production continues. He said growers, then, don’t have to worry whether an autonomous task gets completed.

“They’re trained in using Carbon Auto Tractor,” he said. “They know how to do the functions that the farmer wants to do in the field. And then, whenever there’s something that comes up, they can literally change drive the tractor remotely, and get through whatever obstacle it is, and then keep moving.”

Mikesell said the Carbon Auto Tractor will currently work for LaserWeeder tasks, ground prep such as mulching, mowing, discing and more, but there are plans to expand its capabilities in the future.

The Carbon Autonomy Kit is initially compatible with John Deere 6R and 8R Series tractors, requiring no permanent modifications and installation completed in less than 24 hours. Once installed, tractors can toggle between autonomous and manual operation as needed.

“It bolts on and then that you plug into the harness in the inside on the inside cab, and there’s a box that mounts on the window that you can turn it on and off,” Mikesell said.

The Carbon AutoTractor system includes RTK-accurate GPS, 360-degree cameras and radar-based safety sensors, as well asphysical, remote and mobile e-stops connected via a high-speed, low-latency satellite link.

“We have better visibility from the cameras on the roof than you do from the inside the cabin,” Mikesell said.

And for those growers who might be reluctant to go to an autonomous tractor, Mikesell said the Carbon AutoTractor is designed to help growers better deploy farm labor where it’s needed most.

“You want somebody there to inspect or notice problems with your irrigation or things of that nature. You’ll still want to have those people around, but the point is that they don’t have to spend all that time driving up and down the rows to do the simple task,” he said. “They can then spend their time focusing on figuring out where or if there’s issues and how to address other problems and it relieves the constant need to be driving the tractor all the time.”

Mikesell said this solution also offers growers the option to deploy tractors at night for weeding or when the nighttime temperatures are cooler. This also helps growers maximize return on investment by being able to run the autonomous solution all the time, he said.

“We found that lot of people want to run their LaserWeeder 24/7 because they get a really good ROI or more crops they can put it under, but they just can’t find the operators to run it 24/7,” he told The Packer. “If you can run it, 24/7, you can double the hours in a typical season and you can get that tool doing everything you need it to.”

Carbon Robotics said the autonomous solution works seamlessly with its LaserWeeder, automatically adjusting speed to optimize weeding performance based on weed type, size and density, which can boost coverage by up to 20% compared to manually operated systems.

Brandon Munn, farm manager with Columbia Basin Onion, has worked with the Carbon Robotics team on this autonomous solution.

“With many of our tractors and LaserWeeders running autonomously with Carbon AutoTractor, we’re able to operate more hours, address labor challenges and make night shifts safer and more reliable,” Munn said in a news release. “This isn’t just automation; it’s a practical solution that’s fundamentally changing how we farm.”

Additional Details Come In On AutoTractor
Farm Journal talked with CEO Paul Mikesell to see what else we could learn about the system and what makes it different from other tractor autonomy kits on the market. Here’s a handful of bullet points breaking down what we uncovered:

Don’t Call It A Retrofit - Because the AutoTractor kit doesn’t effectively alter or change anything mechanically on the tractor itself, Mikesell says he prefers to refer to it as a “augmentation kit.”
Satellite Connectivity Changed The Game - When Mikesell and his team started this project back in 2023, connectivity was a limiting factor in enabling a tractor to safely operate with complete autonomy. That is no longer a limiting factor as developments in the stratosphere like SpaceX’s StarLink and Intellsat’s low earth orbit constellations have provided the necessary latency and bandwidth to make driver-less operation safe and viable.
Pricing Is Still TBD - Pressed on how much the system will cost from an up-front investment standpoint, Mikesell told us that “we’re still fine tuning that price.”
Expect An Hourly Fee - Mikesell did confirm that the technology will carry a per-hour fee. He says that fee will track closely with what the user would pay a local machine operator to run the tractor. That could mean a per-hour fee anywhere from $15 in the Midwest to upwards of $25 per hour in high-wage markets like California and Washington. “We’re trying to save you money by not having to worry about travel time out to the fields. There’s no lunch break. You don’t have to worry about paying overtime. This machine will do as many double shifts as you want, and we’re still employing people to do all the monitoring. So we have a very skilled and qualified group of people that are doing all the monitoring. So that’s kind of the model: we charge you per hour to run this machine for you and we’ll work with you on what jobs you want done and how you want it done and make sure that everything is handled appropriately.”
Remote Operators With Tractor Experience - Mikesell says his remote operators that task and oversee the driverless tractors for farmers get a crash course in how tractors are used on your typical farm. “Just being out there in the field long enough to understand the size of things that are around you and just kind of what a field looks like and how things are laid out, makes a huge difference when you’re trying to drive remotely,” says Mikesell. “Even though you have a better view driving remotely, because you have a nice 360 degree view off the roof, having some concept and understanding about the size of things and kind of what everything looks like helps quite a bit.”

Your Next Read: Using tech to target food safety threats

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.”

Growers discuss why urban agriculture deserves more attention

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 19:06:40 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas — Among chefs, alt-meat ambassadors, agtech startups and foodie fundraisers, urban agriculture advocates came together at the 2023 SXSW Conference for a panel called “Rethinking Urban Agriculture.”

Panelists included farmers growing under an acre to fully scaled, expansive indoor ag operations — growers united in their belief that growing food close to the end consumer has more benefits than meets the eye.

The panel was hosted by Foodtank, a nonprofit think tank, during a SXSW-sponsored summit March 12, at Huston-Tillotson University in East Austin.

“Urban farming is, in some ways, a beautiful umbrella term for many different types of activities, right?” said Viraj Puri, co-founder and CEO of greenhouse-based urban farm company Gotham Greens , setting the stage for a lively panel discussion.

Related news: Goals that go beyond ‘greenwishing’

From classroom gardens and community farms to commercial-scale, controlled environment agriculture operations serving large institutions and supermarkets, all are approaches to growing food that fall under the wide spectrum of practices labeled as urban farming, Puri said.

“They’re all rooted — no pun intended — in the common desire to bring us closer to our food system and to improve diets improve the health of the planet,” he said.

Advantages to growing closer to home

For farmer Tiffany Washington, the impetus to start her small-scale urban farm, Dobbin-Kauv Farm in East Austin, was personal and cultural.

“We’ve had this disconnection within marginalized and vulnerable communities that is being left behind,” Washington said. “For me, it’s just been all about starting a farm — I call it B.I.G. A.G., which is to ‘Be, Inspire, Grow and Affirm Greatness.’ When it comes to supporting Black agriculture, that’s what I’m doing.”

Like Washington, Jacob Pechenik starting farming in an urban setting in Austin.

He began with an aquaponic venture called Aquadulce. After learning the ins and outs of aquaponics, Pechenik launched Lettuce Grow with actress Zooey Deschanel . Instead of selling the lettuce in supermarkets, Lettuce Grow sells an entire at-home hydroponic growing system that thrives indoors and outdoors in backyards and kitchens. According to Pechenik, both agricultural ventures were focused on his search to find a better way to farm.

“That’s what really led me to start Lettuce Grow … I wanted to rethink to the model of distributing fresh food while also reconnecting with the individual,” Pechenik said.

Puri launched Gotham Greens while living in New York City. He viewed the circuitous journey of lettuce — grown on farms in Western states and then shipped across the country to supermarkets and restaurants in the Northeast — as wildly inefficient.

“You have 9 million people in New York City and 25 million in the metro area. It’s responsible for 10-15% of all leafy greens consumed in the United States,” Puri said. “And 99% of the time, these leafy greens were grown in drought-stricken areas of California and Arizona, spending almost 40 gallons of water to grow single head of lettuce and then shipping it across the country.”

Puri thought he could do better.

“I was like, ‘Hey, we can grow the same head of lettuce using 3 gallons of water, and we don’t have to ship across the country.’ That would be a compelling benefit for people,” Puri said.

Marc Oshima, co-founder and chief marketing officer at AeroFarms , also saw inefficiencies in the current state of growing greens. For him, it came down to leveraging technology to reimagine how to grow food.

“It’s been exciting for us to think about how we use technology so we can help address quality, shelf life, ensuring flavor, and nutrient density. The control and the precision we can have in our systems allows us to be able to think about we call growing algorithms,” Oshima said. “It allows us to be much more efficient; we use 95% less water and no pesticides. More importantly, we have that high quality all year-round.”

During the pandemic, local urban farms rose to the occasion

While Gotham Greens now gets 90% of its sales from supermarkets, the grower was lucky to get one small spot on the lettuce category 10 years ago, said Puri.

“When pandemic happened, all the supermarkets came to us asking, ‘Can you give us more product?’ People were rushing to the grocery store, and there were no workers in the fields in California. They couldn’t just call a truck in California and say send product over,” Puri said.

Local urban farms were able to step up, leveraging simple supply chains and proximity to provide New York City markets with the much-needed produce.

Related news: It’s freezing outside, but hydroponic grower Square Roots says it’s thriving inside

“So, you walk into the supermarket in New York City in the middle of March to end of March 2020 and 50% of that produce section [is] our product and our fellow local farmers. I think that was eye-opening for the big supermarkets,” Puri said, adding that the unintentional object lesson provided by the pandemic demonstrated the strengths of local urban agriculture.

“We’ve heard a lot about supply chains. What is local urban farming? It’s supply chain resiliency,” Puri said.

Tackling regulatory hurdles

“In terms of challenges, even though there’s such a huge variety of types of urban gardening projects, one common thread is a challenge with the regulatory landscape,” Puri said.

As agriculture has shifted to largely rural areas, zoning, regulations and ordinances pose challenges for urban ag of all sizes, whether it’s the town, city, state or federal level, Puri added.

“Education is really key here,” said Oshima of AeroFarms. “What we want to try to do is think about how we amplify the different stories that we’re hearing. Not only for the consumer, but also the regulatory environment.”

With other indoor ag and greenhouse growers, AeroFarms started the CEA Alliance, Oshima said.

“Now that’s representing the industry to hopefully be able to set the standards, certifications and work closely on policy, food safety, and on the Hill to be able to help increase awareness,” he continued.

One of the major policy topics for indoor growers right now is the next farm bill.

“Last year, I had a chance to testify in front of the House ag committee, and it was the first time an indoor grower had that platform,” Oshima said.

According to Oshima, this is just the beginning. Not only will the industry continue to come together and tell its stories to both consumers and Congress, but with climate change and increasingly extreme weather events, there will be more unpredictability.

“Indoor growing can be one of the solutions that help,” Oshima said.

Revol Greens adds artificial intelligence technology to lettuce greenhouses

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 17:31:35 GMT

Austin, Texas-based greenhouse lettuce grower Revol Greens is working with Dutch growing specialist Blue Radix to add artificial intelligence technology to all Revol’s U.S.-based greenhouses, including climate control, irrigation and energy management services.

“We are excited to use Blue Radix’s artificial intelligence tools to support our growers and optimize energy and climate control throughout our expanding network of greenhouse facilities” Mohammed Oufattole, Revol Greens chief technology officer, said in a news release. “With Blue Radix’s Crop Controller, we are continuously collecting and processing live data and using it for decision automation in ways far more efficient than humanly possible, giving growers the tools they need to maximize crop productivity while controlling energy costs.”

Revol Greens anticipates that adding artificial intelligence technology will help increase crop yield and reduce energy costs, ultimately furthering the company mission to grow lettuce and greens in a more sustainable way that is better for people and the planet.

Revol Greens and Blue Radix first started working together in April 2022, according to the release. The partnership will allow Revol Greens to control production more precisely across multiple farm locations in Minnesota, California, Georgia and Texas.

Related news: Revol Greens to double romaine production with new 20-acre Texas greenhouse

“We are very proud to be working with Revol Greens, one of the most forward-thinking lettuce companies in the US,” Ronald Hoek, CEO of Blue Radix, said in the release. “We’re excited to see our Crop Controller algorithms in action to help them get the most out of each greenhouse and continue to scale their local greenhouses across the US.”

“Lettuce and greens are more complex to grow indoors than most appreciate, especially when operating in different geographies where each variety may require unique settings depending on the local outside weather conditions,” Oufattole said in the release. “Using Crop Controller we’re able to automate the climate decisions according to each lettuce variety and based on the facility’s local climate profile, allowing our expert growers to make production forecasts with more precision and deliver high quality, more consistent crops.”

Blue Radix’s advanced AI technology will calculate the optimal greenhouse climate every five minutes using plant and climate sensors based on historical data and multiday weather forecasts, giving Revol Greens more control over temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide and required light levels in all its greenhouses, according to the release.

“By partnering with Blue Radix to adopt autonomous growing we predict the ability to significantly increase our production output while keeping our energy use and costs down,” Revol Greens CEO Michael Wainscott said in the release. “Revol Green’s ultimate goal is to make safe, sustainably grown greens accessible to all consumers. One of the ways we’ll achieve this is by adopting the most advanced greenhouse technology and growing methods in the industry.”

Blue Radix’s technology is currently employed in Revol Greens’ facility in Owatonna, Minn., and is on track for roll out in Tehachapi, Calif., Athens, Ga. and in its new facility in Temple, Texas.

Soil health tech startup gains financial backing to scale up

Tue, 22 Nov 2022 21:11:20 GMT

MyLand, a soil health tech company based in Phoenix, has secured $12 million in financing to scale up and expand soil health-related services in California, Texas, Arizona, Florida and the Pacific Northwest.

MyLand closed its first Series B financing round with The Borden Family Trust and Waterpoint Lane, according to a news release.

“We see MyLand’s service as an entirely different method to providing growers an affordable and simple regenerative agriculture process; one that has an amazing impact on the health of their soil and in turn, their crops,” Michael Borden, from The Borden Family Trust, said in the release. “We look forward to this collaborative leadership to implement the company’s service and technology onto more farms and to demonstrate its potential for improving the nation’s soil.”

Growers report witnessing the economic benefits of the rapid improvement in soil health through implementation of the MyLand service. Rob Knorr of Dakota Farms, an Arizona-based pepper grower, noted significant improvements in plant growth and plant health, according to the release.

“On fall pepper varieties we were able to reduce fertilizer applications on soils treated with algae as well as noting increased water holding capacity which allowed us to extend our time between irrigation cycles, resulting in reduced costs. I appreciate the MyLand professionals that were committed to helping me to learn more about my own soils and how to be a better producer on better soils,” Knorr said.

Related news: Soil-As-A-Service Startup Aims to Reboot Land’s Natural Potential

This closing is an important milestone for MyLand and puts the company in a strong financial position to fuel the growth and commercialization of its Soil-as-a-Service offering, while increasing the installed base of systems with large growers in efforts to improve soil health through their unique regenerative process, according to the release.

Ben Gibbons of Waterpoint Lane expressed excitement to work with MyLand to promote “scalable regenerative agriculture through their farmer-focused service paired with their innovative systems, that have resulted in increased soil organic matter, water holding capacity, soil aggregation, and carbon storage,” the release said.

Schnuck Markets partners with Instacart, offers shoppers quick delivery e-commerce

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:25:42 GMT

Midwest grocery retailer Schnuck Markets is expanding into e-commerce, teaming up with Instacart to introduce a quick turnaround grocery delivery service called Schnucks Now.

“Schnucks is always looking for new ways to streamline our digital experience and provide value and convenience to our customers,” Schnucks senior director of digital experience Chace MacMullan said in a news release. “We are excited to introduce this new service to meet our customers’ urgent grocery needs and proud to expand on our current delivery options available through Schnucks Delivers.”

Schnucks Now is a new online grocery shopping service that targets small order fulfillment delivered as quickly as possible. The new service will allow customers to shop from its assortment of products such as fresh groceries, pantry, household essentials, alcohol, meals and snacks online. Delivery for Schnucks Now orders targeted at approximately 30 minutes from the time the order was placed.

Related news: Instacart rolls out six new grocery tech platforms, giving grocers tools to compete

“We’re dedicated to finding more ways to make the online grocery experience accessible and convenient and we’re proud to launch Schnucks Now to give customers a new, easy way to get what they need fast,” Ryan Hamburger, vice president of retail partnerships at Instacart said in the release.

The cost of the service will include basic delivery fees, service charges and will be available to customers via the Schnucks Rewards App, on, schnucksnow.com or Instacart. Delivery will be available in all markets served by Schnucks during regular Schnucks store operating hours.

Schnuck Markets operates 112 stores, serving customers in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. According to Forbes’ 2021 rankings, Schnucks is the 160th largest privately-owned company in the United States and the 15th largest privately-owned grocer.

Fairtrade International's virtual banana sends climate change message to UN delegates

Fri, 11 Nov 2022 17:27:55 GMT

Craving a virtual banana? Fairtrade International has the market cornered.

At this year’s U.N. Climate Conference in Egypt, also known as COP27, Fairtrade International has invited fruit and art enthusiasts to enjoy a banana in the metaverse.

Riffing on a recent art trend to sell art virtually through non-fungible tokens, called NFTs, Fairtrade International unveiled its art activation, “The Last Banana,” or non-fungible banana — an NFB, if you will — as a playful stunt, according to a news release.

The virtual banana spotlights the threat Fairtrade International believes climate change poses to future fruit and vegetable production. The punchline? If we don’t mitigate climate change soon, virtual bananas will be the only bananas we’ll have left on the planet, according to Fairtrade International.

“‘The Last Banana’ is Fairtrade’s call to the world that if we don’t step up and achieve inclusive and equitable climate solutions with farmers and agricultural workers at the center of climate action, we risk losing our favorite food products forever,” Melissa Duncan, executive director at Fairtrade International, said in the release.

With an estimated global export value of $7 billion dollars per year, bananas are likely one of the most essential, as the banana trade remains the cornerstone of many countries’ economies, according to Fairtrade International.

According to a 2021 Fairtrade International climate change study, dramatic weather patterns spurred by climate change will likely deliver severe blows to agricultural production in key regions around the world, including Latin America and Asia-Pacific regions. Banana producers in the Caribbean and in Central America, for example, are expected to face less rainfall and more extreme temperatures, while those in Southeast Asia and Oceania regions will see an increased risk of tropical cyclones.

“Farmers and workers are not only on the frontline of the climate crisis, but they also have critical know-how that can mitigate and address climate risks for the benefit of humanity,” Duncan said in the release. “If governments fail to include them in the COP27 outcome and empower them to be the custodians of our planet’s food supply, the only future for one of the world’s most popular fruits may very well be a digital NFB.”

The virtual NFB will be on view during COP27 as a message from Fairtrade International to visiting delegates, underscoring that the future of the global food system is at stake in climate decisions and commitments. The non-fungible banana differs from a traditional non-fungible token as it’s not commercially accessible and doesn’t rely on energy-intensive production.

“The unveiling of a Non-Fungible Banana is a powerful way for us to remind everyone — from global leaders to consumers — that they cannot take their favorite foods for granted. The current climate crisis could very well mean that the last banana is not too far away,” Juan Pablo Solis, Fairtrade International’s senior advisor for climate and environment, said in the release.

“The Last Banana” will be accessible to audiences in Fairtrade organizations around the world and in an NFB’s virtual gallery space online. Visit Fairtrade International’s “The Last Banana” virtual gallery space.

UC Davis receives $50M for sustainability research from The Wonderful Company owners

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 14:12:09 GMT

Co-owners of The Wonderful Company Lynda and Stewart Resnick have promised $50 million to UC Davis. This gift is the largest ever received by the university from individual donors. This pledge will support sustainability research at the land grant university as well as establish the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Center for Agricultural Innovation on UC Davis campus.

“Thanks to this historic gift from Lynda and Stewart Resnick, UC Davis will further expand its global reach, helping to shape the future of sustainable food production,” said Gary S. May, chancellor of UC Davis, in a news release. “This gift demonstrates a continued commitment to innovative environmental stewardship and allows us to create science-based solutions that can be rapidly deployed while mitigating the impacts of climate change.”

The center is slated to begin construction in 2022 and, once built, the new 40,000-sq.-ft., LEED-certified facility will house classrooms, research spaces and a student career space.

$10 million of Lynda and Stewart Resnick’s donation to UC Davis will be allocated to fund competitive research grants through a Resnick Agricultural Innovation Research Fund. The research grants will be awarded annually to UC Davis faculty and Cooperative Extension specialists focused on identifying value-added properties in pistachio, almond and pomegranate byproducts.

“Many specialty crop byproducts are treasure troves of compounds that can promote health, improve soil quality, influence microbial ecology or be converted into valuable products,” said Helene Dillard, dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, in the release. “This transformative gift will help increase the potential of these byproducts, enhance sustainability and create new markets.”

This research initiative is set up to unite experts from across UC Davis focused on five thematic areas:

identifying innovative solutions for agricultural byproducts
maximizing water and energy efficiencies
developing next generation technologies
making crops more resilient and sustainable in the face of a changing climate
expanding access to nutritious food

The Lynda and Stewart Resnick Center for Agricultural Innovation center will also provide student advising for more than 60 Wonderful Scholars enrolled at UC Davis. The Resnicks first created the Wonderful scholarship program almost three decades ago to provide college scholarships to the children of Wonderful employees from the Central Valley. Since its inception, the program has expanded to award college scholarships to other Wonderful Company affiliated education centers and neighboring schools, according to the release.

The new center at UC Davis’s goal is to explore new ways of balancing food production with innovative sustainability practices while advancing global agriculture with scalable solutions to current challenges.

The Wonderful Company is one of the largest privately held companies in the U.S., with brands that include POM Wonderful, Wonderful Pistachios, Wonderful Halos and Wonderful Seedless Lemons. This pledge is one example of the Resnick’s investment in education, community development and health and wellness initiatives in California’s Central Valley.

Investors back Soli Organic expansion with $125M in funding

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 20:08:25 GMT

Virginia-based organic culinary herb-grower Soli Organic secured nearly $125 million in funding to expand operations and build additional controlled environment farming operations. Combined with a recent $120 million financing arrangement with Decennial Group and $50 million in venture debt financing from Horizon Technology Finance and Bridge Bank, new funds will support construction of additional modern, high-tech controlled environment farms in new U.S. locations and support additional scaling of technology and operations, according to a news release.

“We believe that Soli Organic is one of the most promising companies in indoor farming. With transformational soil-based growing technology, the company has solved for the quality, affordability and crop diversity issues that challenge others in this space, all while being organic,” Sanjeev Krishnan, chief investment officer and managing director at S2G Ventures and member of the Soli Organic board of directors, said in the release.

The Series D funding round that totaled nearly $125 million was led by global investment group CDPQ, with leading European investment firm Movendo Capital. B.V. also joining the round, along with follow-on investment from existing investors S2G Ventures, Cascade Asset Management Company and XPV Water Partners. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC acted as the exclusive placement agent for Soli Organic.

“For returning investors, Soli Organic offers a track record of strong performance — buoyed by effective and creative leadership and a relentless focus on unit economics as the company continues to scale — all while offering considerable ESG benefits for investors and others seeking to reduce the impact of the food system and boost access to healthy food options,” Krishnan said.

Focused on achieving the best possible unit economics, Soli Organic has relied on very little venture funding to date and instead is reinvesting profits into technology development in pursuit of price parity with field-grown organic produce. Soli Organic recently launched its Indolce basil product, priced at nearly a dollar less per ounce, on average, than field-grown organic produce, one of many new comparably priced products the company will roll out in the near future.

“With our legacy in retail, we were particularly impressed by the superior quality and unique flavor profiles of Soli Organic’s products, key differentiators as the company seeks to build a brand in a new frontier: the produce aisle,” Pedro Pereira Gonçalves, CEO of Movendo Capital, B.V., said in the release. “The company has nailed the consumer proposition with top quality products at mass market prices. Soli Organic also solves for the critical needs of retailers, offering fresher, reliably available products and supporting surety of supply despite the challenges posed by climate change. We are excited to partner with Soli Organic as they continue to scale and bring additional offerings to consumers and retailers.”

Strategic venture funding through this round will enable the build-out of additional large, high-tech, soil-based indoor farms that will transform Soli Organic’s nationwide production footprint. Soli Organic’s expansion plans include a total of 15 farms in locations throughout the U.S, including high-tech facilities in the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast and Pacific Northwest, as well as several smaller, early generation facilities currently in production. Soli Organic is also in the process of identifying sites for its next farms in the Midwest and Northeast.

“Throughout our 30-year history, first in organic field agriculture and now as a leading indoor organic farming company, Soli Organic’s North Star has always been what consumers care most about: organic, flavor, quality, freshness and affordability,” Matt Ryan, CEO of Soli Organic, said in the release. “Our unique technology advantage enables us to offer a superior consumer proposition. Growing indoors in soil confers both high quality and better unit economics, breaking the paradigm that organic food must cost more. We’re excited to work alongside world-class partners like CDPQ, Movendo Capital and returning investors to bring our products to more consumers across the country.”

Mann Packing upgrades snap pea program

Thu, 13 Oct 2022 19:13:03 GMT

Mann Packing Co., Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Fresh Del Monte Produce, is investing heavily in its snap pea program, as it further commits to being a leader in the space, according to a release.

The vegetable division of Fresh Del Monte has upgraded its program by acquiring two optical sorters dedicated solely to snap peas, totaling a $2.5 million investment, and is also exploring additional sourcing options in Guatemala and Peru that are within Fresh Del Monte’s global network, says the company.

The investment in the snap pea program comes shortly after the two companies announced that Mann Packing has officially completed the final stages of its integration as the vegetable division of Fresh Del Monte — a move that allows Mann Packing to leverage Fresh Del Monte’s resources and infrastructure.

“We’re investing heavily in our snap pea program by finding ways to expand, upgrade and improve efficiencies,” said Sevag Zaroukian, Mann Packing’s vice president of operations, in the release. “As the leader in snap peas, we see this as a pivotal moment to further cement our leadership position in the category.”

Mann Packing says the new optical sorters are installed and allow the company to increase available snap pea volumes to the market and improve efficiency, while further promoting its commitment to quality control.

The upgraded optical sorters provide enhanced quality assurance analytics for each batch/lot, while also serving a main function of cross-checking snap peas that go through the machine, rejecting any product that does not meet Mann’s quality standards, the company explained.

Mann Packing has a year-round growing season of stringless snap pea varieties. It currently grows its snap peas in California and Mexico and is exploring Guatemalan and Peruvian sourcing to further expand its program. The company says all of its snap peas are hand-picked and hand-selected at the field level.

A supplier of cut vegetables and leafy greens, Mann Packing has five facilities across California. Its newest state-of-the-art facility, located in Gonzales, opened in 2021, handling both fruits and vegetables, with full-fledged automation.

Blockchain start-up and Fresh Del Monte team up, launching traceability label

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 19:11:34 GMT

Consumers who want to draw back the curtain can now look forward to a future of quick-scan QR codes to learn about the product journey from farm to cart. Fresh Del Monte just invested a 39% stake in blockchain-driven food safety and quality traceability technology company, Decapolis, and plans to implement blockchain-enabled traceability into Fresh Del Monte business divisions.

“Now, more than ever, consumers are very cognizant of what goes into their food. With this blockchain technology, they’ll know exactly what has gone into the product, and where it has traveled until the moment it was purchased for consumption. We’re excited to begin rolling out this traceability solution to all Fresh Del Monte products,” Mohammad Abu-Ghazaleh, Fresh Del Monte chairman and CEO, said in a news release.

This move marks yet another sector added to the fresh fruits and vegetable company’s expansive, vertically integrated business segments. Fresh Del Monte’s partnership with the Jordanian and United-Kingdom-based tech startup, will include tracking assessments and developing complete logs of product information. The collaboration is slated to begin with Fresh Del Monte’s pineapple operations in Costa Rica.

“We embark on this endeavor with full confidence in our company, our offerings, service and the people we serve. It will surely be a promising and fruitful venture, a force multiplier to work that positively impacts communities, families and the future of healthy living and technology for good. We remain steadfast in moving toward our vision of becoming the leading global reference platform for compliance and certification for food trade worldwide,” Abedalrhman Habashneh, Decapolis founder and CEO, said in the release. To date, Decapolis has successfully developed and deployed this solution in the private and public sector, spanning four continents.

Blockchain tracking

Using QR codes, Decapolis and Fresh Del Monte will capture each stage of production, harnessing blockchain’s digital leger technology to record snapshots throughout the supply chain process. Not only will this empower consumers to know more about the food products purchased, but this blockchain technology will also support food safety and quality assurance traceability and tracking.

What’s more, once the two companies have mastered the technology, they plan to provide the tool to other food industry companies and organizations, under the Decapolis Food Guard label.

Data and food tech key to optimizing sustainable supply chains

Mon, 03 Oct 2022 18:23:36 GMT

However you define sustainability, the process of measuring, reporting and iterating is foundational to optimizing production across the supply chain. The final installment of The Packer’s Sustainability Series looks at how food tech innovators are making more efficient, strategic decisions to improve overall sustainability in the life cycle of a fresh fruit or vegetable.

The Packer met with stakeholders across the fresh produce supply chain to learn what sustainability looked like on their farm, grocery story, organization and laboratory. Many are actively reducing their carbon footprint in the supply chain, focusing on priorities such as:

Improving soil health;
Emphasizing integrated pest management;
Conserving water;
Adopting packaging innovations;
Reducing food waste; and
Improving supply chain traceability.

Improving supply chains of all types

Across the fresh produce supply chain, suppliers, researchers and scientists are finding new ways to tighten their supply chain and reduce their carbon footprint. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and produce innovators and producers are building sustainable food systems brick by brick.

Defining what is sustainable to each producer or business is as unique as the individual products they offer. What’s a valuable sustainable cultivation practice to a tomato producer looks completely different to a mushroom grower, not to mention the packaging supplier that provides the clamshells to protect the creminis until they land on a butcher block for dinner.

Chelsea Shelander, retail, food safety and fresh-cut brand manager at BioSafe Systems scrutinizes manufacturing for opportunities to be more efficient. “Our most-current initiative is an expansion of an ongoing carbon footprint reduction program, in where we strategically locate manufacturing in key demand areas to minimize the distance that our products have to travel, in turn lowering the negative environmental impact of carbon emissions,” Shelander said. “With the recent purchase of land in Yuma, Ariz., BioSafe Systems will be able to provide products in demand to our customers throughout that region with a reduced carbon footprint.”

CMO and Co-founder Pat Flynn at Hazel Technologies believes data is the key to increasing sustainability, even in the fresh produce industry.

“Food is extremely competitive at every stage in the supply chain, but to manage the challenges we’re facing now and those that will continue to intensify, we have to come together in some ways,” Flynn said. “The tracking and sharing of certain waste-related data that reach across the supply chain, will allow tech companies to identify critical blind spots and problem areas, and allow them to develop more earth-friendly solutions that [are] reducing waste while increasing sales.”

Josh VanDeWalle has a different vantage point as Bayer’s North America lead of global food chain partnerships.

“We have a unique role at Bayer,” he said. “We work with food chain partners and other stakeholders on sustainability collaboration.”

While growers are very nimble, there’s always ways to optimize and improve. And despite the many challenges to growing fresh produce sustainability right now, VanDeWalle remains optimistic.

“[I’m] excited about the technology that’s on the horizon,” he said. “Gene editing could be a game changer ... Other technology that’s exciting is robot weeding, drones and other ways to make it easier from a labor perspective. We need to make it easier for people growing the crops and to have new crop protection solutions.”

And while there are many perspectives on what characterizes a sustainable or climate-smart growing practice across the supply chain, what producers, shippers, buyers and customers can agree on is that that leading the charge and finding more sustainable ways of growing delicious food is the secret sauce.

Americans hope to be enjoying delicious grapes, apples, onions, oranges, avocados and corn for years to come and the innovative producers across the fresh produce industry are discovering clever solutions that deliver fresh fruit and vegetables to grocery baskets as sustainably as possible.

More sustainability

Part one of our Sustainability Series spotlights what growers and chemists are doing to improve soil health and the second installment examines strategies growers are pioneering to reduce impact through conserving water and integrated pest management. Part three of The Packer’s Sustainability Series, outlines what growers, retailers and innovators they are doing to improve product packaging and reduce food waste.