Acquisition of Blue River Tech
John Deere predicts new revolution
Machinery giant John Deere buys American company Blue River Technology. The Californian company specializes in precision farming, especially vegetable growing. With this, Deere no longer wants to work at plot level, but also at plant level. Intelligent implements are the next revolution in agriculture.
Blue River Technology is set up in 2011 and specializes mainly in the cultivation of lettuce. To this end, it has developed a row sprayer that, using camera technology, only controls weeds and does not carry out full-field herbicide spraying. The company is currently also testing their technique in the cultivation of cotton.
Implements become intelligent
According to John May, press director at John Deere, the rise of smart tools is on the rise. "Intelligent implements are an important aspect of Deere's future. Blue River Technology has the know-how to do that."
At the moment, precision farming solutions are mainly being looked at at plot level. In the future, the company wants to look at the level of the plant.
As big as GPS
In 1999, John Deere acquired NavCom, the inventor of the StarFire GPS network. Subsequently, the brand was able to offer GPS systems on tractors worldwide. "GPS has revolutionized agriculture worldwide. We see the acquisition of Blue River as a similar step," says Deanna Kovar. She is responsible for the precision farming activities of the green-yellow giant.
253
million
“Blue River can continue to focus on innovation while John Deere explores how their technology can be applied to our brand's existing sprayers. This is the beginning of intelligent implements and a new revolution for agriculture, just as GPS has been. "
€253 million
Deere has paid more than $300 million for the acquisition, or €253 million. Blue River has 60 employees and continues to operate in Sunnyvale, California. The acquisition is expected to be completed in September.
Niels van der Boom
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