Arable has raised $4.25 million for solar-powered sensors and software to help farmers produce more food with fewer resources, and more accurately predict their yields. Middleland Capital and S2G Ventures led the Series A investment in Arable joined by Chasefield, Spark Labs and Cantos VC.
Believe it or not, farmers in the US have faced a labor shortage for years. US citizens aren’t drawn to agriculture the way they were in previous generations, and everything from a complex visa program to anti-immigrant hate groups keep people from coming here to join the agricultural work force. The labor trend has pushed farmers to automate some of the tasks done by agronomists and field workers in the past using software, robotics and IoT devices like Arable’s.
Arable’s sensors constantly gather data about plant health, density, light and weather. The company boasts that they precisely measure more than 40 different, relevant data types, a more comprehensive amount than other IoT “smart farming” devices which tend to focus on just one issue in the field like irrigation or soil tension.
It’s not necessary to send people walking across…