Almanac, a farm data analytics and precision agriculture company, has acquired the intellectual property and assets of Gro Intelligence, a company that was developing what it claimed was the world’s largest agricultural data platform before its recent closure and business liquidation.
In 2021, Almanac grew its crop management platform through the acquisitions of Agworld, Altrac and Centricity. The addition of Gro Intelligence’s assets, including AI models, complement Almanac’s capabilities and extend Almanac into new areas of the food and agriculture value chain - including agricultural insurance, lending, trading and consumer packaged goods (CPG) procurement.
Leveraging AI and machine learning, Almanac’s intelligence platform, Alma, analyzes real-time farm data to predict trends and provide farmers with the foresight needed to make smarter decisions, improve yields, reduce costs and promote sustainability. With a portfolio that includes two trusted agricultural brands and product suites – Semios and Agworld – Almanac serves over 100 million acres of farmland worldwide.
Securing $85 million in a Series B funding round in January 2021, the former company Gro Intelligence utilized public and proprietary data from myriad sources, including satellite imagery, government data, trade organizations and weather reports, to deliver actionable insights on food production, climate and crop yields. With the acquisition of the assets of Gro Intelligence, these capabilities will enhance Almanac’s platform, offering deeper insights and predictive analytics to support agriculture professionals worldwide.
“This acquisition is a quantum leap for Almanac in our mission to revolutionize agricultural practices through advanced technology,” said CEO Sumer Johal. “By integrating Gro’s robust AI-powered data platform within our own, we are aiming to enhance our ability to deliver actionable insights across the global agricultural sector, driving sustainability and productivity for agriculture professionals everywhere.” ●
This new funding round will help scale Carbon Robotics’ LaserWeeder business, introduce new software and hardware products, and expand manufacturing capabilities in Eastern Washington. It will also support the company’s growth in new markets and continue its geographic expansion into Eastern and Southern Europe, as well as the Asia-Pacific region.
LaserWeeders are already in operation by growers across the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia.
“This funding represents a pivotal milestone not just for our company but for farmers and consumers worldwide,” said Paul Mikesell, CEO and founder of Carbon Robotics. “We’re leading a transformative shift, and this investment accelerates our ability to pioneer AI and robotics that will reshape farming for generations to come. I’m excited to have the strong backing of BOND and existing investors like NVentures and to welcome Mood Rowghani to our Board.”
The financing was led by new investor BOND with participation from existing investors Nventures (NVIDIA’s venture capital arm), Anthos Capital, Fuse Venture Capital, Ignition Partners, Revolution, Sozo Ventures, and Voyager Capital. This round brings total company funding to $157 million. As part of the financing, Mood Rowghani, general partner at BOND, will join Carbon Robotics’ Board of Directors. ●
FarmDroid, an agtech company based in Vejen, Denmark, has secured a €10.5 million investment to drive its global expansion.
The FarmDroid robot can sow, remove weeds, and reduce pesticides usage with a new micro spray system, all while operating continuously in the field, powered by solar energy.
With the funding, led by Convent Capital, with participation from EIFO and Navus Ventures, providing a total of nearly DKK 80 million, FarmDroid is set to expand further globally, targeting both organic and conventional open-field farming.
The company’s robot is capable of sowing, weeding and precision spraying, and autonomously operates around the clock. The recent introduction of the spot spraying application now opens the door to broader adoption in conventional farming.
The robot’s propulsion is provided by electric motors powered by solar panels mounted above the robot. The robot is designed like a food processor, where new modules can be added and removed, and the sowing and weeding rows can be adjusted in width and number.
“This investment contributes both with competences and financial resources dedicated to scaling the business, increasing our impact, and promoting sustainable and economically attractive solutions for agriculture,” says René Jannick Jørgensen, CEO of FarmDroid.
FarmDroid was founded by brothers Jens and Kristian Warming from Vejen, who built the first prototype themselves from scrap parts. Today, FarmDroid claims it has the world’s best-selling sowing and weeding robot, with over 500 robots sold in more than 20 countries across three continents. ●
Syngenta and Taranis have entered into a multi-year collaboration to bring artificial intelligence (AI)-driven agronomic productivity and conservation-focused innovation to agricultural retail partners in the U.S.
Starting in 2024-25 and over a three-year period, the collaboration will involve a significant investment aimed at supporting ag retailers in the adoption of Taranis' AI-powered agronomic platforms so retail partners can benefit from AI-derived leaf-level remote scouting insights and generative AI (GenAI) agronomic recommendations.
In a news release, the companies state this collaboration is designed to revolutionize ag retailer workflows while optimizing farm decision making, facilitating grower adoption of conservation practices, and increasing farm profitability.
"We believe this collaboration with Taranis will help retailers tap into the full potential of AI and digital agronomy, unlocking new levels of operational efficiencies," said Paul Backman, head of North America Crop Protection digital agriculture and sustainable solutions. "By combining Syngenta's industry-leading portfolio with Taranis' AI-driven insights, we empower retailers to deliver better, faster and more precise service to theirgrower-customers."
Ongoing development between Syngenta and Taranis will support the continued advancement of AI-powered agronomic platforms. The collaboration will include technology and features from Syngenta's Cropwise platform with Taranis' crop intelligence solution, and will target innovation in areas including conservation agronomy, agricultural productivity, and AI-enabled agronomic solutions.
Syngenta will extend a unique offer focused in the Midwest to support targeted retailers' adoption of Taranis' AI-driven intelligence platform providing leaf-level 0.3mm/pixel resolution threat detection of weed species, insects, diseases and nutrient deficiencies. The service will enable retailers to remotely scout more acres, more comprehensively, from anywhere they access the platform, and to easily prioritize the fields that require the most immediate attention. Paired with Ag Assistant, the Taranis GenAI agronomy engine, retail advisors can generate data-driven expert agronomic recommendations that save time and allow them to act decisively to help their grower-customers protect their crops using Syngenta's crop protection portfolio, resulting in yield-enhancing crop management practices that improve retailer and grower productivity and profitability.
"Having an instantaneous understanding of the issues and the optimal solution creates efficiencies and opportunities the industry has never seen before," said Opher Flohr, CEO of Taranis. "This collaboration with Syngenta is a significant step forward in driving the AI revolution for production agriculture."
Future collaboration between Syngenta and Taranis will seek to integrate Syngenta's Cropwise platform with Taranis' Intelligence Service to further enhance digital agronomy solutions available to retail partners.
This collaboration on conservation services will enable retail partners to offer their grower-customers access to Taranis' conservation platform through a success-based model. The platform helps growers access funding for adoption of conservation practices, and when coupled with Taranis support, has shown increased conservation funding success rates. Validation of sustainable practices is streamlined through an automated process that seamlessly fulfills conservation reporting requirements.
Future collaboration between Syngenta and Taranis will bring additional sustainability-focused benefits including integration of Syngenta's Cropwise Sustainability platform with Taranis' Conservation Service to access emerging market opportunities for retailers and growers created through digitally enabled conservation agronomy practices. ●
Topcon Agriculture has released its new Value Line Steering solution designed specifically for farmers using mid-range tractors on small to medium-sized farms.
Topcon notes the new offering represents a “significant step” in making autosteering technology, typically used on larger machinery, accessible to a broader rangeof farmers.
“At Topcon Agriculture, we are committed to the democratization of technology – putting precision agriculture technology in the hands of more farmers throughout the world,” said Antonio Marzia, executive vice president and general manager of Topcon Agriculture.
“With the Value Line, we are opening up opportunities for farmers who have older or smaller machinery, or smaller specialty farms, to boost the value of their machinery, with autosteering technology that is based on our proven premium steering technology used for decades on larger machines. It is an integrated system designed to seamlessly work with a variety of tractors, including compliance with ISOBUS-UT functionality to offer universal compatibility and ease of use,” added Marzia.
The Value Line Steering solution is a comprehensive package that includes a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver, electric steering wheel controller, touchscreen console, and Horizon Lite software, compatible with front-wheel-steer tractors. Farmers also have the option to add local, satellite or RTK correction services such as Topcon’s Topnet Live for enhanced precision based on their unique needs.
“Autosteering allows for more efficient use of resources, leading to reduced input costs for seeds, fertilizers and fuel,” said Topcon in a news release. “This not only improves the farm’s bottom line but also contributes to more sustainable farming practices. The increased accuracy in field operations can also lead to improved crop yields, further enhancing profitability.”
Farmers from various agricultural sectors, including commodity crops, specialty crops, and mixed farming systems, can expect significant benefits in their operations when adopting the technology, added Topcon.
“There is tremendous potential for growth in the agriculture industry, and Value Line is another step for Topcon in being a preferred partner in this evolving landscape by fostering adoption and effective collaboration both with OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and the farmer,” Marzia said, adding that Topcon facilities across the world, such as Germany, Italy and the United States, are providing the display consoles, steering wheels and receivers.
The Value Line Steering solution is now available through Topcon Agriculture’s global network of authorized dealers. ●
