Agtonomy Lands First TeleFarmer Customer in Treasury Wine Estates

Agtonomy has announced the first customer that will use its newly launched TeleFarmer platform. Treasury Wine Estates, a Melbourne, Australia-based wine distributor, will trial the technology at its California vineyards to remotely manage its crops.

San Francisco-based Agtonomy launched TeleFarmer last week, noting that it is designed to allow farmers to remotely weed, spray, mow, and transport their crops.

"Our new TeleFarmer solution is a suite of products that delivers farmers a remotely operated fleet to accomplish many of the most labor-intensive tasks on their farm and reduce dependency on the availability of labor," said Tim Bucher, CEO and co-founder of Agtonomy, in a statement.

What makes up the TeleFarmer platform?

The platform is made up of three parts. Here is the company’s description of each:

• TeleFarmer Software: A tele-guidance software system that turns tractors into remotely operated vehicles. Equipped with proprietary TrunkVision, these tractors safely and accurately navigate within centimeter-level precision of any specialty crop.
• TeleFarmer Service: An app that puts unprecedented control in the hands of the operator. Farmers can plan and implement tasks such as in-row spraying, open-field mowing, and transporting of harvested crops. The service also provides monitoring notifications and other key information needed for farmers to resolve issues as they arise remotely or dispatch someone to the field for larger issues.
• TeleFarmer Reference Tractor: A fully electric reference tractor that precisely accomplishes labor-intensive field tasks even in the toughest terrain or at night.

"With TeleFarmer, farmers can essentially clone themselves to plan and perform tasks in multiple locations and even troubleshoot those tasks from wherever they are," added Bucher. "Using the app, they can follow along, track progress, check the health of equipment in the field, and review reports to make changes for maximum efficiency on subsequent tasks."

Treasury Wine Estates said it will be using the TeleFarmer system in tandem with its existing equipment and operators. The company claimed that it is taking that approach to ease itself into using the new technology and to fully understand the scope of its return on investment.

Simon Graves, director of vineyard operations at Treasury Wine Estates, noted that Agtonomy is helping the company upgrade its farming practices.

“This collaborative program means we can refine the solution for vineyard and other crop applications and tailor the solution to benefit specialty crop farmers everywhere while providing real opportunities to upskill our teams," he said.

Will Drayton, director of technical viticulture, sustainability, and research at Treasury America, explained that the system has sustainability benefits.

"Continuously reducing our impact on the living world around us is a focus while we produce world-class wine," he said. "Our partnership with Agtonomy means using technology that supports our sustainability goals while balancing a future of tight labor availability and changing consumer demands."

Agtonomy to exhibit at World Ag Expo

Agtonomy will show its new TeleFarmer system at the World Ag Expo from Feb. 14 to 16 in Tulare, Calif.

“Bucher, along with additional members of the Agtonomy executive leadership team, will be available for interviews and live product demonstrations throughout the show in South Exhibits, Booth DS73-74,” the company said.