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iUNU Announces Acquisition of CropWalk, Significantly Expanding The Consulting Capacity For Both
iUNU (“you knew”) is an agricultural machine vision company headquartered in Seattle, with satellite offices in California, Florida, and Toronto as well
iUNU (“you knew”) is an agricultural machine vision company headquartered in Seattle, with satellite offices in California, Florida, and Toronto as well. Founded in 2013 and currently with over 40 employees across the world, the company leverages computer vision and machine learning to allow farms to better manage crop issues and optimize growth cycles. The LUNA system focuses on identifying growing maladies before the crop is affected and promotes better accountability of growing practices through the workflow management application.
In making the announcement, Adam Greenberg, CEO of iUNU, said: “Rising consumer demand is accelerating the growth of the greenhouse industry, but the massive shortage of both growers and manual labor requires a scalable machine vision solution to further produce supply. Having a renowned agronomy team to assist in deploying state-of-the-art technology like LUNA will have a profound impact on our constantly improving capacity to help growers increase quality, yields, and profits. 65% of growers are above the age of 55, and the shortage of qualified people is hitting the fast growing industry hard. Something has to give, thus the future is the centralized management of distributed facilities.”
CropWalk is an integrated pest management (IPM) company that was founded in 2019 and has an expanding team with employees located in key regions across North America, including their Founder and Director of Partnerships, Charlie McKenzie, in the US Southeast, and the CropWalk Director of Operations, Robert Shearer, and Director of Science, Education, and Strategic Development, Ayana Stock, along the US West Coast.
They are a widely recognized name in the horticultural industry for their unbiased approach to empowering growers of high-value crops with the knowledge and resources to prevent and manage pests and plant pathogens. With plans underway to expand their crop care services, CropWalk is well-known for how they customize a unique suite of services for operations of various kinds, offering risk assessments, IPM program development, training sessions, the online CropWalk Academy, and more, including remote monitoring services, the capacity of which are now dramatically enhanced by iUNU’s LUNA system.
Charlie McKenzie, CEO of CropWalk, said: “We’ve always used remote monitoring technology to identify and mitigate conditions that foster plant pathogens. The mantra we live by at CropWalk is ‘Start Clean, Stay Clean.’ Working with the iUNU team and using LUNA, we can digitally walk a crop from anywhere at any time allowing our team to effectively prevent problems before they result in economic injury. Our clients want us around more often, with LUNA, we can be there all the time. It’s a win for growers, a win for CropWalk, and a win for iUNU.”
LUNA, iUNU’s chief product, is an AI tasked with connecting plants, facilities, and people through a single interface. LUNA runs on computers or mobile devices and turns commercial greenhouses into precise, predictable, demand-based manufacturers. LUNA was born in the heart of Seattle, trained in Silicon Valley and the greenhouses of Washington, and is accessible from everywhere.
The future of crop care in modern greenhouses that will feed families for generations involves both people’s human expertise and the best available technologies. The union of iUNU and CropWalk is great news for CEA crop producers seeking the advantage of cutting-edge artificial intelligence, computer vision, and machine learning coupled with industry-leading IPM & biological services. Two companies that were excelling independently have joined forces to set a new standard for the remote monitoring of crops. Services of both companies will still be available for clients independent of one another but will have expanded resources at their disposal.
iUNU’s acquisition of CropWalk helps both companies become more effective in their work towards an important common goal: reducing the cost of nutrient-rich food reaching urban centers while helping growers thrive.
Swiss To Vote On Whether To Become First European Nation To Ban Synthetic Pesticides
Switzerland could become the first European country to ban artificial pesticides in a June 13 referendum which backers of the initiative hope will trigger similar prohibitions elsewhere.
John Revill
June 8, 2021
Summary
Switzerland holds two votes on June 13
One referendum seeks to outlaw synthetic pesticides
Other vote aims to improve Switzerland's drinking water
Opinion polls show both are likely to be close
ZURICH, June 7 (Reuters) - Switzerland could become the first European country to ban artificial pesticides in a June 13 referendum which backers of the initiative hope will trigger similar prohibitions elsewhere.
Globally, only Bhutan has a complete ban on synthetic pesticides, according to supporters aiming to outlaw the use of products made by agro-chemical giants such as Switzerland's Syngenta and Germany's Bayer (BAYGn.DE) and BASF (BASFn.DE).
Supporters of the ban say the artificial products cause serious health problems and reduce biodiversity. Manufacturers say their pesticides are rigorously tested and regulated, can be used safely and crop yields would slump without them.
Another initiative to be voted on the same day aims to improve the quality of Switzerland's drinking water and food by stopping direct subsidies to farmers who use artificial pesticides and antibiotics in livestock.
Switzerland has been starkly divided by an unusually bitter debate over the initiatives and the votes look set to be close. A recent Tamedia poll showed 48% of voters favoured the drinking water initiative and 49% supported the pesticide ban.
If adopted, the proposals give farmers up to 10 years to make the transition, which would allow Switzerland to become a pioneer in organic food as well as an example to the rest of the world, Swiss wine maker Roland Lenz said.
"Clean water, one of the foundations of life, is endangered," said Lenz, a 51-year-old organic farmer, whose vineyard is surrounded by farmers opposing the initiative.
Syngenta, which is headquartered in Switzerland and owned by China National Chemical Corporation, opposes both initiatives, saying a ban would reduce agricultural yields by up to 40%.
"The consequences of not using them are clear: fewer regional products, higher prices, and more imports. This is not in the interest of consumers, nor is it in the interest of the environment," a Syngenta spokesman said.
A poster stands in front of a field before a vote on agrarian initiatives to curb the use of pesticides, near Ellikon an der Thur, Switzerland. May 27, 2021. Picture taken May 27, 2021. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File photo
LIFE UNDER SIEGE
The clean water initiative also wants farmers to stop using imported animal feed, to restrict the numbers of cows, pigs and chickens in Switzerland along with the manure they produce that can pollute drinking water.
"People have been sold a romantic image of farming in Switzerland, which is far removed from reality," said Pascal Scheiwiller, a backer of the clean water campaign, which estimates 1 million Swiss people drink contaminated water.
The Swiss Farmers Union said many of its members feel their way of life is under siege.
"A lot of people in cities think if they have two tomatoes growing on the balcony of their apartment they understand farming," said Martin Haab, president of the Zurich Farmers Association.
"I look back 200 years ago when we couldn't protect our plants and animals, and we had hunger in Switzerland and all over Europe," said Haab.
Martin's son Dominic, who runs a dairy farm outside Zurich, said the consequences for the rural economy would be brutal, with local businesses also being hit by a fall in animal numbers to comply with the fodder restrictions.
Wine maker Lenz, however, said to continue using pesticides was "sheer lunacy", especially when it was possible to use methods such as growing fruit with thicker skins to make them fungus resistant.
“With a ‘Yes’ vote on both initiatives, we will finally move from the chemical age back to the organic age,” he said.
Lead photo: A sign to vote "no" is pictured ahead of a Swiss vote on June 13 on two popular initiatives to curb the use of pesticides in agriculture, in Penthaz, Switzerland, May 31, 2021. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File photo
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Reporting by John Revill; Editing by David Clarke
KYOTO, JAPAN: Spread Develops Technology For Mass Production of Pesticide-Free Strawberry In Vertical Farms
Spread Co., Ltd. (HQ: Kyoto, Japan; CEO: Shinji Inada, hereinafter “Spread”) succeeded in developing the technology for mass production of pesticide-free, high-quality strawberries in vertical farms using artificial lighting
Kyoto, Japan. — Spread Co., Ltd. (HQ: Kyoto, Japan; CEO: Shinji Inada, hereinafter “Spread”) succeeded in developing the technology for mass production of pesticide-free, high-quality strawberries in vertical farms using artificial lighting.
This was made possible by applying Spread’s cultivation know-how to strawberry production.
The technologies include proprietary environmental control, stable indoor pollination, and pesticide-free, clean cultivation.
Spread is considering the deployment of strawberry vertical farms in Japan and overseas, targeting North America, Europe, and Asia.
Spread will also work on product design and a vertically farmed strawberry brand.
DEMAND AND CHALLENGES
Strawberries are globally in high demand, with both yields and production value on the rise. *1 In particular, Japanese strawberries are sought after, which is shown by the steady increase in exports. *2 However, strawberry production is known for heavy pesticide use, and significant food miles.
According to USDA’s data, on average, strawberries in USA carry the residue of 7.8 different pesticides, compared to 2.2 for other crops *3, while over 90% of all strawberries are produced in California. *4
SPREAD’S SOLUTION
Until now vertical farmers have struggled to ensure stable production, with challenges in indoor pollination and high cost.
Spread is able to achieve a year-round stable harvest of pesticide-free strawberries indoors through proprietary environmental control technologies, and stable indoor pollination.
Applying them to large-scale production and adding automation will allow for a move towards accessible prices.
SPREAD’S MISSION
Spread’s strawberries are a part of a larger “Global Food Infrastructure” concept that imagines a world where everyone has free access to fresh and nutritious produce.
CEO Shinji Inada comments “Mass production technology of delicious, pesticide-free strawberries is an important step towards a sustainable society where future generations can live with peace of mind.”
Recognizing the need to feed the Earth, Spread is widening its product range by working on grains, mushrooms, fruits, and more.
*1 FAO Database “World’s Strawberry Yield and Gross Production Value” 2019
*2 JETRO “Nihonsan Shokuzai Pikkuappu Ichigo” [Highlighted Japanese
Ingredient: Strawberry]
*3 EWG “Dirty Dozen Strawberries” 2020
*4 Samtani et al. “The Status and Future of the Strawberry Industry in the United States” American Society for Horticultural Science, 31 Jan 2019