Kubota buys AI company
Kubota North America Corporation, backed by parent company Kubota Corp. of Japan, acquired Bloomfield Robotics, Inc., a Pittsburgh-based company using imaging and AI to monitor the health and performance of specialty crops. Kubota has invested in Bloomfield for more than two years.
Bloomfield’s cameras and software help growers of grapes, berries and other specialty crops assess plant health. Growers mount the purpose-built cameras on tractors and farm vehicles to capture images location details of plants on their property. These images are then translated into crop data such as color, maturity, and size of the fruit using Bloomfield’s AI. The data is used to improve operational efficiencies, plan harvest timing, reduce labor costs, and increased asset utilization.
“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 for 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.”
“The Bloomfield vision from our founding was to provide continuous plant-level knowledge to every specialty crop farmer around the world. This acquisition brings that vision forward at a scale and speed we could not have imagined. 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,” said Mark DeSantis, President and CEO of Bloomfield Robotics.
The level of mechanization and automation in specialty crop farming, such as fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts, lags behind advancements incorporated in the cultivation of row crops. Innovative solutions to integrate data with automated systems, operational robotics, and other assets are needed. The specialty crop market overall has become a focal point of Kubota’s strategic attention and efforts to shape the future of agriculture.
