Deere & Company has acquired Blue River Technology, a start-up based in Sunnyvale, California that is applying machine learning to agriculture. The deal was valued at $305 million.
Blue River is developing computer vision and machine learning technology that will enable growers to reduce the use of herbicides by spraying only where weeds are present, optimizing the use of inputs in farming – a key objective of precision agriculture.
"We welcome the opportunity to work with a Blue River Technology team that is highly skilled and intensely dedicated to rapidly advancing the implementation of machine learning in agriculture," said John May, President, Agricultural Solutions, and Chief Information Officer at Deere. "As a leader in precision agriculture, John Deere recognizes the importance of technology to our customers. Machine learning is an important capability for Deere's future."
"Blue River is advancing precision agriculture by moving farm management decisions from the field level to the plant level," said Jorge Heraud, co-founder and CEO of Blue River Technology. "We are using computer vision, robotics, and machine learning to help smart machines detect, identify, and make management decisions about every single plant in the field."
http://www.JohnDeere.com
http://www.BlueRiverTechnology.com
- Investors in Blue River included Khosla Ventures, Pontifax ATech. Innovation Endeavors, and Data Collective Venture Capital.
