With a major investment in Bloomfield Robotics, Kubota is stepping up for smart ag, and targeting tree and vine crops.
The joint investment with SVG Ventures was made through the THRIVE Accelerator Program. Bloomfield brought in a total of $1.8M in its first funding round, on top of several grants already awarded.
What it is: Bloomfield Robotics is a smart ag startup that provides images and analysis to help farmers make timely management decisions, like when to harvest, or address a pesky pest problem. It’s currently working with a group of vineyards and growers in France, Italy, Peru, and the U.S.
How it works: Bloomfield provides proprietary cameras that can mount to apple-solutely any vehicle that travels through the trees. Artificial intelligence processes and analyzes crop condition images, capturing fruit and leaf color, size, and maturity. Then, it proposes management steps to address what it sees.
Bloomfield wants growers to get the most out of every tree and vine without a total orchard overhaul. They expect their tech to “hitch a ride” on Kubota’s vehicles, a berry efficient path to pest detection and yield estimation.