Also in this week’s farm technology news: Kubota acquires a Pittsburgh-based robotics startup, and GreenVenus unveils fast-growing lettuce for indoor growing.
New seasonal ag worker platform addresses H-2A challenges
Technology platform H2 Organizer launched its software and mobile application on Tuesday aimed at supporting farmers and temporary farm workers with an all-in-one digital management tool.
H2 Organizer and its companion app “MiChamba,” which translates to “my job” in Spanish, allow for recordkeeping, HR processes and communication between H-2A visa workers and their employers to help save time and maintain compliance with regulators, according to a release.
“We built H2 Organizer to solve the challenge of having multiple technology platforms to manage an operation,” Cesar Martinez, chief strategy officer of H2 Organizer, said in a statement. “Now growers can use one platform with an array of tools to manage incidents, process payroll and even deliver onboarding training.”
Many employers in the H-2A program struggle with providing credible records to prove compliance with the Department of Labor. The H2 Organizer can help farm operators stay abreast of unexpected audits, as well as bridge language gaps with multilingual messaging.
“There is nothing like this on the market,” Martinez said.
H2 Organizer has partnered with organizations WAFLA, Western Growers and Scaroni Family of Companies to track visa applications and navigate the regulatory landscape, so it can focus on delivering a user-friendly management product.
Kubota buys Bloomfield Robotics to advance AI in specialty crops
Japan tractor maker Kubota Corp. has acquired Bloomfield Robotics, a Pittsburgh-based agtech startup that develops smart cameras and software for monitoring grapes, blueberries and other specialty crops.
The deal is expected to combine Bloomfield’s artificial intelligence-driven technology with Kubata’s legacy tractors and agricultural vehicles to meet growing demand for precision farming solutions. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Bloomfield’s smart cameras use advanced imaging and AI to capture plant health and performance data, such as crop color, maturity and size, so farmers can make accurate crop projections and yield estimations using the startup’s dashboard software.
Today, Bloomfield services berry and grape growers in the United States, Mexico, Chile, Peru and France, with plans to expand its reach into other crops and countries in the coming months.
Brett McMickell, chief technology officer for Kubota North America, described the deal as a “natural evolution of our successful partnership” following years of investment into Bloomfield’s technologies.
“Partnering with Kubota will allow us to expand our reach, bringing our innovative services to more farmers globally and empowering them with precise insights into every plant in their fields,” Tim Mueller-Sim, co-founder and CTO of Bloomfield, said in a statement.
Agtech firm breeds a fast-growing lettuce for indoor farming
GreenVenus, LLC has developed a fast-growing lettuce to help deliver savings for indoor farming operations.
The California-based agtech firm said it recently created lettuce cultivars that can thrive in controlled-environment settings and grow nearly twice as fast with fuller leaves as conventional varieties.
“With our introduction of new faster-growing lettuce varieties and our commitment to developing additional crop cultivars, GreenVenus intends to reduce the cost of indoor cultivation and make a sustainable and positive impact on the indoor farming industry,” GreenVenus CEO Dr. Shiv Tiwari said in a statement.
The vertical farming industry has struggled with high operational and energy costs, resulting in the closures of several businesses in recent years. GreenVenus aims to address systemic issues through innovations in gene-editing and crop breeding.
Currently, leafy greens and herbs are the main crops grown indoors. GreenVenus is leveraging its platform technologies to develop more nutrient-rich vegetables, fruits and grains for the vertical farming industry, including berries, tomatoes and spinach.
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