Iowa City-based startup Rantizo, which uses drones to spray crops, has just closed a $7.5 million Series A round led by Leaps by Bayer, with participation from a number of other agtech-focused investors – including Fall Line Capital, Innova Memphis, Lewis & Clark Ventures, KZValve, and Sukup Manufacturing. It brings the company’s total funding to date to $9 million. Continue reading
Category Archives: Agriculture
Abu Dhabi and ENGIE to Use Drones in Mangrove Rehabilitation
The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) is partnering with the global utility company ENGIE who is sponsoring the launch of the first phase of the “Blue Carbon” Environmental and Social Responsibility project that uses drone technology to help in rehabilitating areas of Abu Dhabi’s mangrove habitats. Continue reading
Crop-Dusting Drone Gets FAA Test Approval
Pyka, a California-based tech startup, develops autonomous electric airplanes that may be spraying fields as the technology matures into the next decade. Continue reading
China’s Ace Pilots Lead Expansion of Agricultural Drones
Use of unmanned aerial vehicles or drones in agriculture is expanding in China at a speed unmatched in other countries thanks to advances in autonomous navigation technology and the presence of competent operators, or pilots, capable of filling gaps between functional capabilities and actual needs. Continue reading
WWF Australia Drones Drop Seeds for Koala Gum Trees
Specialised drones are being tested in a programme to boost koala numbers on Australia’s east coast, dropping seeds of gum trees as part of a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) scheme to regenerate bushland torched in the country’s historic bushfires. Continue reading
Treeswift to Automate Forestry with Drone Swarms
Forests cover 30 percent of the Earth’s landmass, but that number is on the decline. Despite forests’ crucial role in conserving wildlife and processing carbon dioxide, many are threatened by deforestation and wildfires. Continue reading
Tech Startups Develop Spraying Drone with 50L Capacity
The use of drones in agriculture has gained size and momentum due to their capability to save time and costs while improving crop profit. However, most multi-copters aren’t powerful enough to cover large crop areas or plantations. In the best of cases, electric multicopters offer flight times that range from 10 to 25 minutes with a load capacity of 20L, forcing the pilot to carry multiple batteries to the field and losing most of their time charging them. Continue reading
Drones for Sustainable Farming in Australia
Jamin Fleming from Australia’s Oztech Drones, who has grown up in a large cattle farm, is among the tech-savvy, keen millennial generation who passionately embrace a fulfilling career in agriculture. Continue reading







