Tech Startups Raise Millions to Develop Precision Ag Tools

Agriculture is the latest U.S. industry to embrace technology – and venture capitalists are taking notice.

Farmers in rural America are using technology to take a new approach to age-old farming practices, from scouting their fields (once done by walking the rows, now often done with drones) to planting and harvesting (now aided with auto-steer technology).

From drones to robots to big data, U.S. soybean farmers are using technology to help them manage plant and soil health and grow a sustainable, quality crop.

In 2017, technology startups in the U.S. agriculture sector raised $670 million, according to AgFunder, to develop software programs, big data analytics and other innovative precision ag tools for farmers.

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) explored how “Venture capitalists find rising market in rural American via data-loving farmers” in a June blog post by David Festa.