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Agriculture

Swiss Life invests €200 million into vertical farming venture with Planet Farms

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Swiss Life Asset Managers, the investment arm of Swiss Life Holding AG, has partnered with Milan-based agritech company Planet Farms to launch a new joint venture aimed at expanding vertical farming operations across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

The joint venture will receive up to €200 million ($227 million) in initial funding, with Swiss Life contributing as much as €125 million, according to a statement issued Tuesday confirming earlier reporting by Bloomberg News.

The initiative includes a flagship 20,000-square-meter vertical farm located near Como in northern Italy, which currently supplies fresh produce to supermarkets and food service providers in both Italy and Switzerland.

The partners plan to replicate the model in additional markets, including the United Kingdom and Scandinavia.

Planet Farms, founded in 2018 by Luca Travaglini and former Goldman Sachs banker Daniele Benatoff, specializes in sustainable, high-tech farming systems designed to reduce water usage and eliminate pesticides.

Guggenheim Securities served as exclusive financial advisor to Planet Farms on the transaction.

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Deere unveils new combine harvester with ‘expanded advanced automation’

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John Deere has introduced a number of enhancements that the company says farmers will find available on model year 2026 combines, including an array of “advanced automation and efficiency updates”.

The new features are focused on helping farmers harvest in more diverse conditions, requiring less operator intervention and providing more operational insights that help improve farm efficiency and productivity.

Bergen Nelson, John Deere go-to-market manager for harvesting equipment, says: “These new updates are designed with farmer input to help unlock the full potential of the John Deere combine. [Read more…] about Deere unveils new combine harvester with ‘expanded advanced automation’

The autonomous future of farm vehicles: Interview with John Deere business manager Jesse Haecker

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This article was first published on December 1, 2022, and is being republished here because of technical problems with the previous version.

John Deere is, by most accounts, the world’s largest manufacturer of agricultural machinery – tractors, combine harvesters and so on. The 185-year-old American giant generated revenues of more than $61 billion in fiscal year 2023. 

The next three companies on the list are, in order, Kubota ($15 billion revenue), CNH Industrial ($11 billion), and AGCO ($9 billion). So Deere is clearly in the lead now, but one of those three companies – CNH Industrial – may be in a good position to grow its market share going forward because it launched a quite striking looking autonomous tractor a couple of years ago.

While CNH’s machine may look too futuristic for most farms, possibly leading people to believe it won’t take off any time soon, John Deere has nonetheless responded to the whole autonomous trend by launching its own driverless tractor (pictured below), which was showcased at the recent CES event. [Read more…] about The autonomous future of farm vehicles: Interview with John Deere business manager Jesse Haecker

Aigen launches new robots for clearing weeds from farm fields

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Aigen, the agricultural technology company aiming to help reduce chemical usage through smarter farming, has unveiled its Element gen2 robot for daily weed control. (See video below.)

The company also announced a strategic partnership with Bowles Farming Company, a sixth-generation family farm in California’s Central Valley, that will see robotic crews weeding Bowles Cotton fields for the 2025 growing season, marking a significant expansion for Aigen into new crop types.

Updated based on 10,000+ hours of real-world farm experience, Element gen2 features a wider, taller design enabling operation in cotton, soy, and sugar beet fields – expanding Aigen’s addressable fields by millions of acres worldwide while helping American farmers increase yields and grow more attractive crops for export. [Read more…] about Aigen launches new robots for clearing weeds from farm fields

Robots for agriculture: Technical advances outpacing market adoption

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A new strawberry-picking robot developed in Japan is drawing global attention for its ability to autonomously harvest strawberries with minimal human intervention.

Designed by researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University, the robot combines 3D cameras, AI, and an autonomous mobility system to navigate greenhouse beds and identify ripe strawberries for harvest.

The developers claim the system can work continuously and be remotely managed via mobile devices, potentially reducing labor dependency in one of Japan’s most labor-intensive crops. [Read more…] about Robots for agriculture: Technical advances outpacing market adoption

Scientists develop autonomous robot to harvest strawberries

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​Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University have developed an autonomous robot capable of navigating and harvesting strawberries in high-bed cultivation environments using lidar technology.

This innovation addresses Japan’s agricultural labor shortages, particularly the challenges of manual strawberry harvesting.

Assistant Professor Takuya Fujinaga, from the Graduate School of Engineering, led the development of an algorithm enabling the robot to operate in two modes: navigating to predetermined locations and moving alongside raised cultivation beds. [Read more…] about Scientists develop autonomous robot to harvest strawberries

Taylor Farms acquires agricultural robots startup FarmWise

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Taylor Farms, an American producer of ready-to-eat salads and healthy fresh foods, is acquiring FarmWise, an agricultural technology robotics company specializing in precision weeding and thinning solutions.

This important strategic move reinforces Taylor Farms’ commitment to advancing agricultural technology and sustainable farming practices while continuing to deliver high-quality fresh foods to its customer partners.

FarmWise has been at the forefront of ag-tech innovation, recognized for its advanced automation and robotics systems that address critical farming challenges such as precision weeding and thinning. [Read more…] about Taylor Farms acquires agricultural robots startup FarmWise

Carbon Robotics launches ‘breakthrough’ tractor solution with real-time remote supervision

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Carbon Robotics, a developer of AI-powered farming automation solutions, has launched Carbon AutoTractor, which it describes as “a breakthrough tractor autonomy solution”.

Powered by Carbon AI, Carbon AutoTractor is installed on existing tractors and is remotely monitored by Carbon Robotics operators, who handle interventions in realtime to ensure seamless operation.

Carbon AutoTractor delivers reliable, uninterrupted autonomous tractor operation – helping farmers increase productivity, reduce labor dependency, and scale operations. [Read more…] about Carbon Robotics launches ‘breakthrough’ tractor solution with real-time remote supervision

Yamaha to acquire Robotics Plus

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New Zealand-based company Robotics Plus, a specialist in agricultural automation solutions, has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Yamaha Motor.

The Japanese automotive giant plans to use its acquisition to form the foundation of Yamaha Agriculture, a new company focused on delivering autonomous equipment and AI-powered digital solutions that help growers in the specialty crop market become more sustainable, profitable and resilient in the face of scarcer resources and climate change.

Robotics Plus specializes in developing automation solutions for agriculture, combining expertise in robotics, automation, sensing, and data analytics. [Read more…] about Yamaha to acquire Robotics Plus

Robotics Plus unveils new multi-use autonomous vehicle for agriculture

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New Zealand-based agritech company Robotics Plus has showcased Prospr, its autonomous, multi-use, hybrid vehicle for vineyards and orchards, at the recent 2025 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento, California this week.

Prospr is a robust autonomous vehicle with a unique modular architecture, advanced AI capabilities, and all-day running that tackles various crop tasks, including automated intelligent spraying.

Prospr significantly increases efficiency across tasks, reduces fuel consumption by 70 percent with its hybrid diesel-electric and decreases emissions, and reduces inputs – enhancing environmental sustainability and health and safety while reducing operational cost and reliance on increasingly hard-to-find machine operators. [Read more…] about Robotics Plus unveils new multi-use autonomous vehicle for agriculture