Big news from Verdant Robotics this week as they announced the close of a $46.5 million series A funding round – one of the largest investments in ag robotics to date.
Verdant Co-founder Curtis Garner says the funding will enable the company to scale its fleet, build more machines and cover more acres.
Verdant’s robot can simultaneously weed, fertilize, and treat plants for pests and disease with its sub-millimeter accurate spraying technology.
Right now, the company commercially services a wide variety of specialty crops including carrots, onions, garlic and leafy greens. But with this new investment, Garner says it’s only a matter of time until they expand into other crops like corn and soybeans.
“We’re talking to customers now with corn and soy. Our technology is broadly applicable to any crop. We just have to take the time to learn the crop and find the agronomic actions we should go after that are valuable for the farmer. And then work hand in hand, getting our boots dirty, rubbing our shoulders with the farmer and agronomist to figure out the necessary actions they want to take on the crop. That will likely be a few years to really flesh that out and develop something that will work extremely well and be commercially viable in broad acre row crops.”
More machines equal more crops, as Garner puts it. He says they can now service a 50-acre grower just as well as they can service a 5,000-acre grower, helping them use up to 95% less materials on their farm.
