Bitwise Agronomy raises $1m amid global expansion with AI crop forecasting technology for berries

Tasmanian agtech startup Bitwise Agronomy has raised $1 million to support a global rollout of its GreenView AI crop analysis platform that helps berry growers make better decisions through more accurate crop forecasting.

Compared to traditional practices where agronomists calculate crop forecasts by manually counting and assessing the colour and condition of berries on bushes for a portion of the farm, the GreenView tech utilises GoPro footage to make more accurate and consistent projections at "superhuman speed".

"As a farmer I like to have eyes on my crop at all times. Berry farms are complex and sometimes distributed, so it's really important to have accurate, consistent and reliable data to help us understand and manage our crops," says Bitwise Agronomy co-founder and CEO Fiona Turner in an explanatory video about the technology.

"At Bitwise Agronomy, our GreenView system helps farmers know what they're going to grow by using cutting-edge AI technology."

The company's object detection AI has been fine-tuned using berry data from farms worldwide, combined with more than 200 ripening curves tailored to 60-plus berry varieties including strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.

Bitwise Agronomy claims this has lifted forecasting accuracy from 50 per cent to 90 per cent, up to 12 weeks in advance of harvest.

"We can look at different phenological stages, measure and count to give actionable insight about your crop across the whole growing season; all you need to do is attach the GoPro camera to your existing farm machinery and capture video while you're out there doing other jobs like mowing, mulching and accelerated scouting," Turner explains.

"When you come back to the office, all you need to do is upload the data into our GreenView portal. Our GreenView system takes that data and crunches the number," she says, with results provided within 12-24 hours via an interactive yield calculator dashboard that maps decision making.

"By understanding the variability within your crop, you can manage your labour better by sending them to the right area at the right time. This will reduce your wastage and reduce your labour costs."

The group claims rigorous testing over three to four growing seasons in multiple countries has proven the reliability of the system, and Bitwise Agronomy is now focusing on rapid expansion into the UK, Europe, and South America.

This strategy is backed by the latest raise led by Melbourne Angels. Other investors on the company's register include Jelix Ventures and Sprint Ventures.

"Our mission is to take the guesswork out of growing,” says Turner.

"This investment is a testament to the hard work of our team and the trust of our customers. We’re excited to scale up and bring our solutions to more berry farms around the world.”

In addition to scaling, the company is introducing advanced quality assessment features, including strawberry quality analysis and berry sizing for strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries.

This is aimed at supporting genetics, breeding programs, and post-harvest operations, with Bitwise noting all solutions are designed to be field-based and portable, ensuring flexibility and ease of use for growers.