- Equipment manufacturer CNH has struck a multi-phase partnership with autonomous faming startup Bluewhite to bring the latter’s technology to tractors.
- The partnership will integrate Bluewhite’s autonomous system with tractors made by New Holland, of which CNH is the parent company.
- New Holland tractors will be able to operate autonomously in orchards, vineyards and other speciality crops.
‘Much-needed’ autonomous technology for growers
The relationship between the two companies began a couple years ago, a time when both companies were considering how best to deploy agtech innovations to orchards and vineyards, says Bluewhite chief business officer Alon Ascher.
“New Holland was a natural choice for collaboration as the leading OEM for the orchard and vineyard equipment sector, but it was our shared values and joint commitment to innovation that forged the long-term partnership we have today.”
“The integration of Bluewhite into our technology stack allows our customers to access much-needed autonomous technology in an attainable aftermarket solution,” says Carlo Lambro, brand president of New Holland.
Rather than making tractors, Bluewhite outfits existing machines with its system that uses computer vision, AI and navigation tech to execute tasks autonomously.
Founder Ben Alfi has likened Bluewhite’s tech in the past to “an IKEA build” the company sends out to a dealership. “In the morning, it’s a regular tractor. Two dealership workers can transform it in 14 hours. At the end of the day, the tractor is autonomous,” he said in an AgFunderNews interview earlier this year.
At the time of that interview, he also noted that “The big players that have been here a long time, they understand they cannot do it alone and they’re willing to embrace companies like us and cooperate.”
New Holland and Bluewhite will collaborate on the manufacturing, distribution and integration of Bluewhite’s tech into New Holland’s machines, allowing the latter to operate “fully autonomously” in orchards, vineyards and other specialty crop environments.
Benefits for New Holland customers
“Autonomous farming operations will yield consistent results that are carried out precisely and on-time while reducing human error and worker fatigue,” according to Asher, who adds that Bluewhite’s solution also improves worker safety and provides more visibility to management through data.
Meanwhile, “execution allows growers to reduce the need for workers to operate dangerous machinery and the precise application of harmful chemicals, boosting worker safety.”
Food safety benefits from autonomy too, he says, as precision application capable with automation reduces the need for chemical crop protection solutions, while “the implementation of autonomous technology creates new high-potential opportunities jobs for diverse groups in the grower community.
