DAVIS, CA - As our industry continues to grapple with technology’s impacts, both positive and complicated, it is easy to feel as though we should be much closer to the Jetsons while simultaneously working to catch our breath.

“Agtech is still a new industry—growers, investors, and technology companies are still trying to figure out how to work together to bring products to market that can add real value, and soon,” Kyle Cobb pointed out to me as we sat with this juxtaposition. “As investors look for signals as to which companies to support, growers will always have the loudest voice in the room. We urge growers to advocate strongly for Founders and companies that you believe in. This can make the difference between a start-up surviving a downturn (which many commodities are seeing right now) or closing before their mission is complete.”

In the case of advanced.farm, which Kyle Co-Founded with friends and Caltech University alumnus Marc Grossman and Cedric Jeanty, he says they are very fortunate to be working with Washington apple growers, and in particular with the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission.

“They are the best researchers and partners in the world, and will lay a great foundation for advanced.farm robots to serve tree fruit growers across many crops in the future,” he explained.

The wheels of this new chapter continue to spin faster, and Kyle said with enthusiasm that the future is now(ish)!

“advanced.farm is deeper into R&D of in-field robotics and robotic harvest than any company has ever been before. We are not a generation away, but rather just a few years away from delivering a product that will forever change how the world harvests fresh fruit,” he shared of the company that seeks to develop a robotic apple harvester to help growers bridge the labor gap during the most critical part of their season. “With every year that passes, our robots will get faster, smarter, and more reliable. As we make progress on the tech, it’s important that growers work together to develop best practices in agronomy, operations, and human resources, for example. This will help us all reach the finish line faster, and will also accelerate innovation for growers in the next crop.”  

As we reported initially, Kyle and his team have noted a few key qualities for success in those who are ready to take part in the venture:

• A robot-first horticulture strategy: advanced.farm is focused on vertical trellis fruiting walls, because it makes for the most favorable conditions for robotic harvest. Beyond this, growers can thoughtfully thin and prune tree canopy to make fruit more exposed.
• A willingness and ability to change some aspects of operations: Though never a full overhaul, it could mean changing hours of operations to work both days and nights, or changing a worker incentive to encourage smooth integration of equipment onto the ranch.
• A scale that allows a grower to take some financial risks: Testing costs money for everyone involved. It’s important to find ways to share risks, and stay invested in an outcome that might take more than one season to come to bear.

Though we are in some ways still reeling from the drastic changes our industry has seen, there is no question certain advancements—like those offering extra hands in the orchards—cannot come soon enough.