Greenfield Robotics

Based in Cheney, Kansas, Greenfield Robotics is an agricultural technology firm developing robotic systems to support regenerative farming at scale. The company was founded in December 2017 by Clint Brauer, a third-generation farmer who transitioned from a career in technology, alongside Nandan Kalle and Steven Gentner. Brauer's return to his family farm and his father's Parkinson's diagnosis, which he attributes to herbicide exposure, motivated him to find chemical-free farming solutions. This personal mission led to the creation of Greenfield Robotics, which aims to provide farmers with tools that eliminate the dependency on herbicides and tillage.

Greenfield Robotics operates on a Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) model, leasing its fleet of autonomous, AI-powered robots to broadacre farms. This approach allows farmers to avoid significant capital expenditure on machinery. The company's primary clients are large-scale farmers of row crops like sorghum, soybeans, and cotton. The business generates revenue through leasing fees for its robotic services, which include deployment, operation, and maintenance of the bots. The company has attracted investments from notable backers including Chipotle's venture fund, Cultivate Next, as well as angel investors and family offices.

The core of the company's offering is its "BOTONY™" fleet of small, autonomous robots that use mechanical means to control weeds. After a field is mapped by a drone, the robots navigate between crop rows with high precision, using spinning blades to cut weeds close to the ground, which keeps crop damage to less than 1%. This method provides an alternative to chemical herbicides, addressing the growing issue of weed resistance and promoting soil health. The robots are designed to operate day and night and are built with interchangeable parts and rechargeable batteries. Beyond weed control, Greenfield is developing additional capabilities for its fleet, such as nutrient microspraying and real-time plant tissue analysis to detect nutrient deficiencies.

Keywords: regenerative agriculture, agritech, Robots-as-a-Service, RaaS, autonomous farming, chemical-free farming, robotic weeding, precision agriculture, sustainable farming, broadacre crops, soil health, carbon sequestration, Clint Brauer, farm robotics, no-till farming, weed control technology, agricultural automation, robotics in agriculture, sustainable food production, crop management technology