Resson seeks ag-tech commercialization partner
Bioenterprise Canada supports smart farming technology
By Lilian Schaer
A New Brunswick-based developer of smart farming solutions is looking for a partner to help bring its commercially-promising crop imaging system to market. Resson has developed a technology platform focused on tractor-mounted cameras to help growers manage their crops by detecting production metrics, pests and disease at the individual plant level.
The system enables a targeted spraying approach by identifying and targeting pests and disease in real time as a tractor is moving through a field, reducing the amount of crop protection materials used – benefiting both the environment and grower profitability.
In potato production, the system has been trained to recognize common problems like Potato Virus Y, Colorado potato beetle, and potato blight. In a recent Canadian trial, the technology successfully identified the presence of Colorado potato beetles from a moving tractor and only applied treatment in the spots where the pest was found. Trials in India on grape crops showed similar success.
“At Resson, what we know is how to make artificial intelligence and computer vision work in a farmer’s field outdoors,” explains Resson CEO Mike Morris. “We’ve developed and demonstrated the technology and the concept is broadly applicable to many different crops. One interesting use case is estimating the yield of a grape crop; the earlier a grower can have reliable yield estimates, the better.”
The system’s origins go back to 2013 and the founding of Resson by University of New Brunswick graduates Peter Goggin and Rishin Behl. Their vision was to use drones to gather images of field crops and use an artificial intelligence system to analyze the photos and make management recommendations to growers about when to apply fertilizer or the best time to harvest.
At the time, notes Morris, gathering images with drones wasn’t cost-effective, and the company switched to satellite-based imagery instead. However, the anticipation of drones eventually becoming a feasible option led to the development of the tractor-based visioning system as an interim solution that could gather image data at the individual plant level.
This past year, McCain’s purchased the satellite image analysis technology side of Resson’s business to use with its own supply chain partners, freeing up Resson’s resources to focus on bringing the smart camera innovation to market.
“Our ultimate goal is to find a commercialization partner for the two-piece puzzle that we’ve developed capabilities for: the hardware and devices, and the artificial intelligence where we are developing techniques to detect pests, diseases, and yield metrics – that’s really what we are about,” says Morris.
Helping Resson on its journey through the agtech ecosystem is Bioenterprise Canada, whom Morris initially met through Innovacorp, a Bioenterprise regional partner based in Nova Scotia. Since Resson became a Bioenterprise member in 2021, the Bioenterprise team has provided support in the form of introductions, mentorship, and market intelligence.
“We first reached out to them to learn more about agricultural economics and help us see the points in the agricultural value chain where we could reduce costs or increase revenue by solving pain points. They provided many helpful introductions throughout the sector” he says, adding Resson has also made direct connections in the industry and attended useful conferences. “We’ve gotten good value from our relationship so far and there is more to be gained.”
Bioenterprise is Canada’s only national agri-technology focused accelerator. As Canada’s Food & Agri-Tech Engine, Bioenterprise Canada uses its 20 years of industry experience and a global network of experts, mentors, funders, researchers and industry partners to help small and medium-sized agri-food nationwide connect, innovate and grow.
To learn more about Bioenterprise or to become a member or partner, visit Bioenterprise.ca or contact Carla Berquó at carla.berquo@bioenterprise.ca or 1-866-464-4524/519-821-2960, ext 205.
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