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By The Robot Report Staff | September 14, 2024
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Kubota has acquired Bloomfield Robotics, to add AI-based crop monitoring features to the tractor. | Credit: Kubota tractor
Kubota North America Corp. this week announced the acquisition of Bloomfield Robotics Inc., which specializes in agricultural imaging and analysis. Bloomfield uses advanced imaging and artificial intelligence to monitor the health and performance of individual plants.
The Pittsburgh-based company presents its collected data in a single place for growers to track throughout the growing season. Its service supports growers across seven countries and three continents.
Kubota North America, a subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Kubota Corp., said this strategic move aligns with its commitment to providing innovative systems for the agriculture industry. The Grapevine, Texas-based unit manufactures and sells a range of machinery, including tractors, construction equipment, lawn and garden equipment, and hay tools to the North American market.
“We are excited to announce the acquisition of Bloomfield Robotics, a natural evolution of our successful partnership through Kubota’s support of open innovation,” stated M. Brett McMickell, chief technology officer of Kubota North America. “Combining AI-driven technology with our legacy quality products will enable Kubota to solve real issues facing agriculture. This acquisition is a key milestone for Kubota’s strategic vision to provide comprehensive smart agriculture solutions.”
Bloomfield data to help optimize harvesting
Bloomfield Robotics is developing a software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering that to provide growers with insights into their crops. By capturing detailed plant-level images using specialized cameras mounted onboard a Kubota tractor, Bloomfield said its system can accurately assess factors such as plant color, maturity, and fruit size.
The images from farm vehicles provides geo-located images of an entire field. Bloomfield’s AI then translates them into crop data such as color, maturity, and size of the fruit. This data-driven approach enables growers to optimize harvest timing, reduce labor costs, and improve overall operational efficiency, claimed the company.
“The Bloomfield vision from our founding was to provide continuous plant-level knowledge to every specialty crop farmer around the world” said Mark DeSantis, president and CEO of Bloomfield Robotics.
“This acquisition brings that vision forward at a scale and speed we could not have imagined,” he added. “Fortunately, we’ve been working closely together for over two years, so we have a running start at achieving this vision. We’re truly excited for what’s to come.”
Market is ripe for innovation, says Kubota
Automation for specialty crops such as grapes, blueberries, and tree nuts lags behind advances inthe cultivation of row crops, according to Bloomfield Robotics. It asserted that the market needs systems to integrate data with automated systems, operational robotics, and other assets.
Also this week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture this week announced an investment of nearly $121 million in 17 projects to advance research and extension activities that aim to solve key challenges facing specialty crop and organic agriculture producers. The investment includes $70.4 million to support research across the U.S. and $50.5 million to support farmers and ranchers who grow and market high-quality organic food, fiber, and organic products.
The specialty crop market has become a focal point of Kubota’s strategic attention and efforts to shape the future of agriculture. It said its acquisition of Bloomfield is one more step in that roadmap.
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