It has been a busy week in ag tech news with several companies issuing announcements over the past few days.
Here’s a quick roundup of recent ag tech news:
John Deere says it “deeply values” U.S. workforce and manufacturing as salaried layoffs roll out
John Deere issued a statement on its website highlighting its commitment to American manufacturing and history of investment in its domestic workforce.
The statement was released hours before the equipment manufacturer began laying off a significant portion of its salaried workers via virtual meetings and email communications.
John Deere shared the following example of its commitment to American manufacturing:
You can read the full statement on John Deere’s website here.
Tesseract Ventures repurposes U.S. made military drone for farms
Tesseract Ventures has announced the availability of what it is calling “cutting-edge military technology and a specialized drone platform” for the agricultural sector, according to this press release on PR Newswire.
According to Tesseract, the Tesseract Ag Drone is made in the USA and can help farmers manage crops and data more accurately. Leveraging computer vision and optics, the drone gives farmers real-time information about their fields. When integrated with the Tesseract Synthesis software, the drone transforms raw data into actionable insights, enabling farmers to make informed decisions.
Tesseract says its drone can help farmers identify pests, monitor weed growth, assess crop and soil health, track weather impacts, and observe crop development.
“This technology is a game-changer for US farmers, providing technological advantages previously unavailable on a single platform,” stated John Boucard, CEO, Tesseract Ventures. “Our commitment to agricultural innovation is both military-proven and farmer-led, offering enhanced capabilities and strategic benefits to our national farmers and co-op partners.”
Tesseract partnered with Iowa-based Landus under a unique initiative born from a Department of Defense program. You can read more about that partnership and the Synthesis software program here.
Monarch Tractor drums up historic $133 million venture capital round to further its electric smart tractor platform
Monarch Tractor, creator of the world’s first fully electric, driver-optional smart tractor and Wingspan Ag Intelligence (WingspanAI) farm management platform, has announced a $133 million Series C, reportedly making it the largest funding raising round in agricultural robotics history.
To date, the company has raised over $220 million and expanded its MK-V technology into various agricultural markets such as vineyards, dairy, berries, orchards, and land management. The startup says its latest funding raise will “support the further development of Monarch’s AI product offerings and expansion of its operational footprint to support farmers across crop types and regions.”
In December 2022, Monarch released what it says is the world’s first fully electric, driver-optional, smart tractor, the MK-V. Since then, the company has shipped over 400 of its tractors to farmer customers across 12 states and three countries.
Learn more about the sub-100 HP MK-V electric, driver-optional tractor here.
SweetWater Technologies announces first drone franchise partners
CEO Chad Gripp announced the launch of the company’s first group of independently-owned and operated franchises, according to a press release from AgPR.
The franchise partners include:
- Bill Pirkl in Byron, Minnesota
- Nathan Janz in Tonica, Illinois
- Grant Bell in Sullivan, Indiana
- Skyler Stahl in Brownstown, Indiana
- Cameron Woodring in Spring Mills, Pennsylvania
“Each of those independently owned and operated franchises brings a deep commitment to agriculture and has the expertise to utilize SweetWater Technologies’ advanced drone systems to their fullest potential,” says Chad Gripp.
Gripp added that SweetWater Technologies’ franchise partners offer an exclusive portfolio of performance crop inputs designed specifically for drone applications. That portfolio includes adjuvants, liquid fertilizer and micronutrient blends, and a plant growth regulator (PGR).
Head over to the SweetWater website if you want to learn more.
Another day, another Generative AI tool emerges for farmers
Stratovation Group, a company based in Columbus, Ohio, announced the release of its free to use AgriSearch Assistant AI tool this week. The tool is available now to all ChatGPT users, according to the company.
“We wanted to make a tool for the industry that makes it easier to aggregate, find, and use a lot of the data that’s already available from credible sources,” said Cam Camfield, CEO of Stratovation Group. “We are hopeful it brings data to folks trying to solve agricultural problems faster.”
AgriSearch Assistant aggregates data from USDA, the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), as well as Economic Research Service (ERS) and various land-grant universities and public institutions.
You can access the Generative AI tool here.
Mizzou researcher developing smarter sensors for ag
University of Missouri researcher Matthias Young believes he’s found a way to keep farm nutrients on land where they belong.
Young is developing a technique that could lead to new types of sensors to help farmers better measure nitrates and phosphates in the soil, allowing them to use fertilizers more efficiently, writes Janise Heavin for the ShowMeMizzou website.
Young’s research is showing promise for a faster, more reliable and cost-effective way to measure ions such as nitrates in the soil. He and his team are devising a sensor that measures how quickly ions move through a membrane, rather than how strongly they bind to it. Using a pulsed electrical current, these devices are more sensitive and reliable, according to Young.
The findings were recently published in ACS Omega, a publication of the American Chemical Society.
