Suma Reddy, CEO of Future Acres, talks about her firm which is concentrated on creating sensible farming instruments to scale back labor demand and enhance effectivity. Suma introduces her journey into agriculture know-how and the problems in present farming practices that may profit from robotic options. Future Acres’s robotic harvest companion, Carry, autonomously transports crops throughout the farms and collects precious information. Suma additionally discusses the impression of their know-how and their visions for the way forward for agricultural know-how.
 Suma Reddy is Co-founder and CEO of Future Acres, an AgTech startup constructing superior mobility and AI options for farms to extend manufacturing effectivity, farmworker security and supply real-time information and analytics. She is a three-times AgTech + ClimateTech founder (vertical farming, natural waste-to-energy, renewable power), is on the advisory board of Scale for ClimateTech, a Board Member of GrainPro, and teaches Entrepreneurship for Sustainability and Resilience on the NYC Faculty of Visible Arts. Suma is captivated with sustainable options and the disruptive know-how that can assist advance a greater setting and extra resilient world ahead.
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Episode 346 Future Acres
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Kate Zhou: Hiya, welcome to Robohub. Would you please introduce your self?
Suma Reddy: Hello Kate. My identify is Suma. I’m the co-founder and CEO of future acres.
Kate Zhou: Welcome to the present Suma., are you able to inform us extra about what led you to search out future Acres.
Suma Reddy: Positive.so, you recognize, first, future acres, what it’s is are an organization that’s constructing superior, mobility and AI options for farms, beginning with carry an autonomous harvest companion that will increase manufacturing effectivity.
Farm employee security and supplies actual time information and analytics. so it’s been a meandering journey to get right here. my first gig was truly within the peace Corps in Mali, so I’ve actually at all times been concerned about kind of assets and setting impression and agriculture from there, you recognize, hopped over to India.
working with farms within the micro finance area for a few years, my first unicorn startup and publish which have actually centered on constructing firms as an entrepreneur on the intersection of local weather and agricultural know-how. So in a distant digestion, natural waste to power after that actually centered on vertical farming and now the great world of specialty crops and.
Kate Zhou: Properly, it’s very fascinating background, very various experiences. Thanks. Are you able to inform us extra concerning the precise objectives that future Acres is attempting to resolve? Yeah.
Suma Reddy: so for us, you recognize, after we take into consideration the main drawback and in our mission, actually, as an organization, you recognize, we take into consideration this truth, proper.
You already know, And never a very long time from now, we’re going to succeed in a inhabitants of 10 billion individuals and we’ll want to extend our manufacturing meals manufacturing by 50% whereas lowering our emissions by 75% and utilizing no extra land. And so agriculture in, in that vein proper. Is de facto necessary. One of many challenges to essentially round meals manufacturing is individuals and labor.
And so we’re seeing this 20% labor scarcity in plenty of farms. And so what meaning is 20% much less crops which can be harvested 20% much less income for the farms and in the end 20% much less meals that could possibly be shipped to our grocery shops. So. On high of that, we additionally, you recognize, take a look at the inefficiencies with kind of this, this glorious world of out of doors farming.
for instance, you recognize, the wheelbarrow in specialty crop farming, you recognize, a farm employee will spend 30% of their day hauling a whole lot and kilos of crops throughout throughout fields and farms. And in our analysis, we discovered that we discovered that. Really the wheelbarrows invented, I consider in 2 31 CE and China.
and we nonetheless use that very same wheelbarrow right this moment. so we, we found out, you recognize, like what’s an clever transport answer for us to principally convey, you recognize remedy that piece of the puzzle.
Kate Zhou: I see. Fascinating. So what’s your present answer or present know-how? That your organization supplies to resolve this piece of the puzzle.
Suma Reddy: So we name our answer, Carrie and it’s primarily the robotic autonomous harvest companion and choose a wise wheelbarrow. And so how they work collectively for a farm employee is that if a farm employee is say, choosing desk grapes, On a farm, they’ve the choose or they’re sensible wheelbarrow proper subsequent to them.
They plop these, you recognize, ultimately 200 kilos of grapes on that wheelbarrow. you recognize, now we have load sensors on there, in order that robotically the fleet of carries at the start of farm is alerted that it’s time to go choose up these grapes. And so one of many caries will journey autonomously to the farm employee and the wheelbarrow load up with these crops after which return again to what’s referred to as the sorting station.
Um, we’re packing happens. And in order that cycle a steady regularly repeated. So. clever transport is, is absolutely how we give it some thought.
Kate Zhou: So I see. So the important thing options embody like autonomous navigation in addition to. Did you point out additionally choose up from the wheelbarrow immediately from the farm staff or, yeah.
So human companion
Suma Reddy: at that time. Yeah. So we consider it as kind of a collaborative robotic, proper. so there isn’t proper now, although it’s thought-about a future function set. The grapes are manually offloaded from, from the wheelbarrow, however by way of options you’re precisely proper. The autonomous navigation is the first main function.
Um, the security of the unit, that is actually necessary, you recognize, with something robotics and particularly out of doors agriculture. So how are we constructing security mechanisms? the third is, you recognize, how is it powered? Proper? So. and protecting it clear, clear power. the fourth truly is the controller. So we’ve inbuilt a predictive platform as a result of after we take into consideration the way forward for farming there may be going to be swarms of little robots for, on many of those farms.
And so when you concentrate on a elevate, proper, and the way does it optimize, you recognize, the place to go and when to go and people efficiencies we’re constructing the identical sort of succesful.
Kate Zhou: I see. Cool. I suppose let’s get into every of these slightly bit extra. What are the precise security options and what’s the fundamental concerns once you have been designing?
Suma Reddy: Yeah. So after we take into consideration security we additionally correlate it to robustness. so for agriculture, as you’ll be able to think about, and particularly in California on this period of local weather change temperatures are getting hotter and warmer. so one, now we have to construct a sturdy car and a sturdy system as a result of early, early on, after we did testing or simply 3d printing components we truly had an element that, that melted.
And so, so actually designing for, for the recent local weather that we see in California throughout harvest season is absolutely, actually necessary. On the security aspect. it’s issues like even having bumpers, proper. Uh and with the ability to navigate round individuals. So for instance, the Carey, if you happen to have been standing proper in entrance of it it’s going to cease and ensure to not run into you.
So fairly primary stuff, however actually, actually necessary. as a result of that is one thing that works alongside farm staff.
Kate Zhou: Yeah, completely is smart. And by way of the ability, how do you maximize the effectivity and the way lengthy can every carry robotic final?
Suma Reddy: Yeah. So it’s actually necessary that these programs final the total full day.
In order that’s how we take into consideration our energy, proper. And, and within the lifetime of it throughout, throughout operation, so lasting an entire day and actually swappable batteries our coronary heart, how we’re eager about it proper now. however as you’ll be able to think about, you recognize, there there’s plenty of potential for issues like photo voltaic cost, battery stations.
Options like that, that may optimize effectivity over time. I see.
Kate Zhou: And the S the photo voltaic charged and battery stations, is that on the present carry robotic or it’s one thing that’s upcoming additionally depending on the setting, the robots working in?
Suma Reddy: Yeah, I might say it’s it’s in our roadmap. So not on the present iteration.
Kate Zhou: I see. Yeah, that is smart. What sort of suggestions have you ever obtained from the farm staff? Does it take a while for adoptation of such know-how or was it very properly obtained instantly?
Suma Reddy: Yeah, it’s slightly little bit of each. so one of many challenges and alternatives we’ve seen in, in, in farming and agriculture is it’s a really conventional business and the methodologies and the way issues are achieved, hasn’t modified a lot in a whole lot of years, generally even 1000’s.
And so. speaking about innovation and know-how it was a reasonably thrilling alternative, however I feel it’s our duty as technologists is to set expectations in the suitable method. And so what we’ve seen prior to now is that generally. Over promising and beneath delivering with agricultural applied sciences.
And so, you recognize, for us, that’s a extremely necessary worth in precept is that every part we promise we are able to ship to our farms. So I say that as a result of now, you recognize, we had a giant demo. In October with one in all our fundamental companions is, you recognize, setting expectations in the suitable method. speaking loads about what this know-how can do and what it can’t do.
Um, and so there, the response was actually, actually constructive. you recognize, there’s, there’s kind of the homeowners and managers who run the farm and there’s the farm staff, proper? So we take into consideration our customers and in two methods, and the very first thing. Is that this simple to deploy, proper? Does it have, and so for us plug and play deployment is a extremely necessary piece of our function set.
Um, the second is, does the productive planning work and you recognize, completely it does. After which three, how are we setting the bottom work for these actual time information and analytics. and that’s actually, actually thrilling when you concentrate on the way forward for farming and the way information and analytics and precision agriculture are going to return collectively.
Yeah, and the, and the fourth is absolutely is, is the impression on farm staff. you recognize, growing the benefit of farm staff is absolutely necessary for F as, as a mission for us. And so it’s fairly easy. if it can save you two hours of a day of a farm employee, hauling a whole lot of kilos of grapes or every other crops throughout farmland, It does make their job simpler.
So, so to be Frank, if you happen to ask the query like, oh, you recognize, is that this higher? You already know, how is it higher? It’s a really a lot a like, duh. Yeah. Like I’m not lugging heavy stuff proper anymore. And that solves for that. Cool.
Kate Zhou: Yeah. Might you elaborate a bit extra on the plug and play facets of it? Is there, I think about it will there,
is there any
setup that’s required, or
particular particulars from the farm?
Suma Reddy: That’s a bit proprietary as, as a function. So
Kate Zhou: I see that is smart. And by way of the information and analytics, I do know that may be an enormous asset for the farm as properly. What are a number of the key pursuits of what of farm staff need to study? And that could possibly be acquired from the service.
Suma Reddy: so yeah, this has been a extremely fascinating drawback to resolve. proper now what we see is that almost all farms you recognize, are making seven determine choices on their farms with none information. In order that could possibly be round individuals. It could possibly be. Round, you recognize, assets, land, water, pesticides, chemical compounds, proper? All of that administration is finished with very, very restricted quantities of information.
And that is what now we have heard immediately from farmers themselves. And so. For them you recognize the usable information for us that we take into consideration is what’s the first drawback units which can be possible and that we are able to remedy. And so one information on the fleets themselves, proper? the farm operators and managers need to know the place are they fleets?
Like, how are they working? the second. Is across the farm staff themselves, proper. proper now pay is built-in right into a payroll system. And so, so with the ability to simply sort of calculate, oh, this many kilos per location or this many kilos per hour. is absolutely useful. After which yields yields is absolutely necessary.
So if we are able to do yield per varietal yield per location, yield professional time you’ll per 30 days et cetera, these are actually precious information factors. And in order that’s the place we’re beginning. and you recognize, the place, the place we are able to begin right this moment. in the end although the, you recognize, the longer term is on constructing upon that platform as a result of we, now we have this, this robbing floor robotic, so we are able to.
You already know, plugin sensors, and we are able to plug in pc imaginative and prescient to essentially seize issues round crop high quality well being yield indicators like that, and extra environmental metrics as properly. And in order that’s actually the longer term.
Kate Zhou: I see. That is smart. Are there any specialization wanted for several types of crops or once you say specialty crops, what are the principle like kinds of
Suma Reddy: crops or market you’re focusing on?
Yeah, that’s an excellent query. So specialty crops includes are, you recognize, fruits, greens, nuts and likewise horticulture product. So it’s not. Your grains, your weeds, your rice, your corn, your soy which frequently time or the, the Midwest is how we frequently take into consideration row crops because it’s referred to as specialty crops.
Um, largely sit in in California. however you recognize, they’re. Elsewhere as properly. And so our first market that we take a look at is desk grapes. 99% of desk grapes are grown in California. So it’s a incredible market trigger it’s proper in our again door. And it very a lot has the issues that we’ve recognized.
So by way of what variations can be wanted to be made to each, you recognize, the harp {hardware} piece of it, in addition to. The info and software program piece of it’s one, a desk teams itself has an enormous drawback set to resolve for. so we’ve developed our designs our Harvard designs based mostly on how desk grape farms are arrange.
So, you recognize, we take a look at apples, we take a look at peaches, we take a look at strawberries, proper. I used to be actually fascinating markets as properly. however undoubtedly, you recognize, The some {hardware} modifications can be neat to me to these, however the cool half is I’m on the information and analytical aspect that actually would simply be minor iterations as a result of we’d be capturing the identical related items of information.
Kate Zhou: I say. So by way of the {hardware} modifications do you assume any sensing suite? Properly, so we to vary what sort of sensors are onboard now and are most of them concentrate on navigate. We’re additionally specialised totally different
Suma Reddy: crops. Yeah. So primarily proper now it’s based mostly on the autonomous navigation. these are the first sort of sensing on the, the wheelbarrow itself.
Proper. We now have a load load sensor and placement as properly. Let’s see.
Kate Zhou: And what are another future instruments or options you may think that carry or different merchandise will interface with the
Suma Reddy: farms? Okay. so I feel, you recognize, for us the million greenback query. Will we turn out to be the kind of all-in-one desk grape robotic answer?
Um, or can we increase into different crops? And I truly don’t assume it’s a binary answer. for us we’re getting began by fixing what we expect is. The largest drawback set and probably the most technologically possible problem to resolve, which, you recognize, once more is what we name this clever transport. and a part of that, the massive drawback now we have to resolve is how can we do ruggedize autonomous navigation throughout the farm.
Um, and in order that’s actually our place to begin. and beginning with desk grapes. I feel the second piece of that proper, goes to be taking a look at different kinds of. Desk grape options throughout the harvest worth chain. so, you recognize, for instance throughout harvesting, proper, it’s worthwhile to, it’s worthwhile to weed, it’s worthwhile to seed it’s worthwhile to harvest proper.
It’s good to do all these. It’s good to pack, it’s worthwhile to choose pack, ship and robotics can play a job in all of these items of the worth chain. for instance, I used to be having a name right this moment round. Proper. And, and we all know chemical weeding is absolutely unhealthy for the soil. and on this period of, you recognize, elevated information and pursuits, fortunately round regenerative agriculture, it’s, you recognize, how can we do issues to the land that don’t hurt it.
Proper. And really can assist it in, in carbon sequestration. So You already know, so I feel there’s, there’s that I feel transferring into different crops you recognize, on the, on the transportation aspect is gonna be an enormous want that labor challenges should not going to go away, you recognize, sadly, due to how we’ve arrange you recognize, migrant workforces and the insurance policies we’ve put in place.
you recognize, we, now we have to deal with them in, in robotics is one in all them and see.
Kate Zhou: The place do you see the way forward for agriculture area going and the way does that impression the market? now the meals provide costs, et cetera.
Suma Reddy: Yeah. so I feel it’s, I feel, you recognize, a number of tendencies that I’m seeing in studying and listening to you recognize, one is precision agriculture.
Um, so, you recognize, As I discussed, as we get perceive extra information, proper? First the primary problem is capturing the information after which with the ability to analyze the information you recognize, we can’t, we may be predictive and prescriptive by way of what occurs on the farm. So for instance, you recognize, spot dosing of pesticide.
So as an alternative of like this sort of spray and pray strategy actually being very focused, proper about the place we’re. pesticides on the farm, you recognize, in order that’s simply, that’s only one instance. You already know, one other instance is, is with the ability to analyze, you recognize, the crop well being and high quality metrics and with the ability to predict yields out of that.
Um, after which that impacts, you recognize, the income of the farm, proper. And issues like that. So precision agriculture, I feel, is absolutely, actually fairly thrilling. I feel we’re going to see that coalesce with, as I discussed, regenerative agriculture I used to be simply chatting with an natural farmer truly based mostly within the UK.
Um, and actually eager about, you recognize, how are we operating farms in a, in a extra natural method and even regenerative. And so the, the very best methods to do this, proper? at a scalable degree, or try to include. Each small and huge applied sciences to play a job on this. so in the end I feel, you recognize, the, these pillars that we take into consideration proper is one is on the meals manufacturing aspect.
Two is on the farm employee aspect. And what’s the way forward for. for farm. So I discussed that development as properly. you recognize, we’re, we’re working with communities and farm employee communities. trigger we perceive, you recognize, after we talked to micro farm staff in California, you recognize, say in and round Fresno, the, their children are understandably don’t need to do that work.
And so the character of labor in, in agriculture goes to vary, proper? We’ll have people who find themselves. Extra Mecca mechanics, proper. Extra fixing of those robots. hopefully possibly renting proper on the tools and having our possession over it. So, so I feel it’s the individuals aspect. I feel it’s the know-how aspect.
I feel it’s local weather, proper. all converging into, into plenty of totally different alternatives. Yeah.
Kate Zhou: Cool. last query, based mostly in your expertise to date, what would you assume the, I suppose, associated, what would you assume one of many. fundamental bottlenecks of all of those options could possibly be, is it the know-how aspect or is it the logistics and the coverage aspect, or, and when you’ve got any ideas of throughout the know-how, based mostly in your expertise together with your crew, is the trouble be extra on fences individuals division or a controller and optimization, or is it actually the information we’re nonetheless assembly?
Suma Reddy: Yeah, I feel that’s an excellent query. I feel on the challenges aspect, I might say it’s capital and know-how. so know-how, not that each one this know-how doesn’t exist, proper. We’ve seen robotics has been round perpetually. you recognize, I typically simply take a look at manufacturing proper. And see it as a blueprint in some ways for what’s going to occur on the.
Um, the problem proper with, with agriculture is, you recognize, we try to construct army grade tools primarily at Aztec costs. you recognize, the stuff needs to be extremely ruggedized. and so it may possibly’t, it may possibly’t be as delicate as you recognize, to be Frank what you see in industrial and indoor purposes.
And so I feel we’re. Or completely there you recognize, as an business however making it business and scalable proper. Is sort of our, is our, is our problem. in order that’s associated to kind of the capital piece of. I feel, you recognize, we’re having plenty of pursuits from traders, fortunately within the meals and ag house in addition to within the robotics house and, and those that care about impression in, basically.
Um, however to be Frank, you recognize, Aztec, isn’t some shopper SAS product, proper? It prices cash to construct these items. The timelines are longer. And so, you recognize, really feel grateful that there’s plenty of several types of funding mechanisms. We’re seeing we’ve employed fairness crowdfunding. For instance, we raised a 1.56 million this previous October by way of fairness crowdfunding.
Um, you recognize, we’re backed by a VC as properly, however I feel we’re going to be actually inventive, must be actually inventive round how capital comes into the business.
Kate Zhou: Cool. Thanks in your perception. It’s very fascinating.
Suma Reddy: In fact, we’re near the time,
Kate Zhou: however I’m fairly curious, like as a last query about.
Um, what are a few of your greatest classes realized by yourself entrepreneurial journey or any recommendation for people who find themselves concerned about robotics and entrepreneurship?
Suma Reddy: Yeah. this can be a large query. I’ve realized, so I’ve realized so many classes trigger I’ve been at it for therefore lengthy. I, you recognize, I feel one is individuals you recognize, You already know, generally individuals consider entrepreneurship as a result of we kind of have this notion in our society that, you recognize, the solo hero entrepreneur, just like the Elon Musk or the Steve jobs.
Um, however it’s a crew sport proper. There’s some people who find themselves good at storytelling and advertising and gaining the notoriety. however it’s a crew sport. And so actually speak to as many individuals as potential as you’re constructing. What you need to construct, even at a extremely early stage perfectionism will kill concepts, will kill execution.
Um, so simply attempt to attempt to, you recognize, speak to as many individuals in the way in which that’s most comfy for you, proper? In case you don’t like head to head, you recognize, are you aware, see if there’s a method you’ll be able to be part of communities in numerous methods slacks and issues like that. I feel the second factor is, is sufferers like, particularly for all of us right here, you recognize, who’re doing exhausting tech proper.
And constructing robotics it’s, it’s a protracted sport. and so I consider issues, truthfully in 10 12 months cycles in terms of these, most of these firms. So having sufferers, which I truly don’t have in some ways I’m somebody who undoubtedly likes to run. Nevertheless it’s a, it’s a continuing studying for me to only attempt to be affected person within the constructing of those, of those options and corporations.
Kate Zhou: I see. Properly, thanks a lot, a lot. That was very fascinating. Thanks in your time.
Suma Reddy: Yeah, no, thanks.
transcript
tags: c-Setting-Agriculture, cx-Setting-Agriculture, podcast, Robotics know-how, Service Skilled Area Robotics Agriculture, startup
Kate Zhou
