Bonsai Robotics raises $15M for AI to help farms combat labor shortages
Bonsai Robotics raised $15 million from investors to advance production of its automated harvester Visionsteer, which uses artificial intelligence to pick fruits and nuts in orchards.
The recent funding will be used to enhance Bonsai’s software and expand the startup’s artificial intelligence platform and data set, according to a news release. The San Jose, California-based firm also plans to build its partnerships with manufacturers and farmers, as well as accelerate bringing its products to market.
“This additional funding is strong validation of the incredible work our team has accomplished and our future growth prospects,” Tyler Niday, Bonsai co-founder and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
Bonsai’s flagship Visionsteer is a retrofit hardware kit that uses cameras and computers to make existing farm equipment operate autonomously. The company has conducted field trials with more than 40 farm vehicles integrated with the computer-vision technology across the U.S. and Australia.
In 2023, Bonsai secured $13.5 million in early funding to accelerate production by making investments in hiring, sales and marketing. The latest funding round was led by Bison Ventures, with participation from Cibus Capital, Acre Venture Partners and other investors.
CH4 Global begins large-scale production of methane-reducing cattle feed additive
CH4 Global on Wednesday began production of red seaweed at its cultivation pond in Louth Bay, Australia, in an effort to scale the feed ingredient for methane reduction in livestock.
As competitors rely on ocean harvesting or expensive indoor tanks for Asparagopsis production, CH4 Global’s pond-based system has a host of advantages, according to the release, including cost savings of up to 90% and reduced contamination and weather risks.
The company’s new EcoPark facility has the capacity to produce more than 80 metric tons of Asparagopsis seaweed per year at a fraction of the cost that competitors face, which the company said allows it to pass the savings on to customers and ensures profitability of its flagship product Methane Tamer.
“We’ve cracked the code on making methane-reducing feed supplements commercially viable without requiring government subsidies — a crucial step in scaling this important climate solution,” CH4 Global’s CEO and Co-Founder Steve Meller said in a statement.
Currently, the EcoPark facility has 10 cultivation ponds with a combined capacity of 2 million liters. Plans are in the works to expand to 100 cultivation ponds over the next year, and with enough investment, eventually 500.
CH4 Global, based in Henderson, Nevada, recently said it will partner with Mitsubishi Corporation to grow sales and expand its Methane Tamer cattle feed supplements across Asia-Pacific markets.
Indoor lettuce grower rebrands as Nimble Farms with expansion in the Northeast
A Buffalo, New York-based indoor farming company formerly known as Ellicottville Greens has rebranded itself as Nimble Farms as it expands into markets across the Northeast.
Nimble Farms, established in 2018, uses climate-controlled shipping containers that have been converted to grow leafy greens, herbs, microgreens and mushrooms indoors with renewable energy sources. The company has collaborated closely with local grocery stores, schools and hospitals to meet demand for local, perishable produce.
As part of the rebrand, Nimble Farms said it has partnered with Tops Friendly Markets to bring its Butterhead lettuce to all 152 supermarket locations across New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont.
Nimble Farms, which has three growing sites in New York, has plans to double its operational footprint by the end of the year, with the ultimate goal of building 100 locations nationwide over the next decade.
As Nimble Farms looks to ramp up expansion, Bowery Farming and other indoor vertical farms have struggled with overhead costs and securing investments, leading to closures and setbacks.
“With demand for healthy, perishable produce higher than ever, and with ongoing challenges facing our fresh food supply, we look forward to scaling our impact both regionally and nationwide in the years to come,” Gabe Bialkowski, CEO of Nimble Farms, said in a statement.