Yamaha enters ag equipment market with new company

Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd. has launched Yamaha Agriculture Inc., a new U.S.-based company that will be focused on delivering autonomous equipment and AI-powered digital solutions for growers of specialty crops. Through acquisitions of Robotics Plus1 and The Yield, Yamaha said the new company will provide robotics solutions for spraying, weeding and other field operations, while leveraging advanced data analytics and AI to enable precision farming and data-driven decision making for growers of wine grapes, apples and other specialty crops in North America, Australia and New Zealand.

Robotics Plus developed Prospr, an autonomous hybrid vehicle for vineyards and orchards. (Photo: Yamaha Agriculture)

“Establishing Yamaha Agriculture is a pivotal milestone in our Long-Term Vision 2030 - ART for Human Possibilities. This initiative embodies the three core pillars we aim to achieve in our 2030 Long-Term Vision: Advancing Robotics, Rethinking Solutions and Transforming Mobility,” said Jim Aota, Chief Strategy Officer for Yamaha Motor in Iwata, Japan. “It also aligns with Yamaha’s global technology roadmap, focusing on advanced energy management, intelligent systems and software-driven solutions. With the launch of this new company, we aim to leverage Yamaha’s technological expertise to contribute to sustainable and profitable farming using a customer-centric approach. Growers will be able to better address challenges around labor shortages, resource scarcity and impacts from climate change.”

Yamaha revealed its Long-Term Vision of ART for Human Possibilities in 2018. “ART” stands for advance, rethink and transform.

“Guided by our mission to ensure growers are sustainable, profitable and resilient, Yamaha Agriculture recognizes that the challenges facing specialty crop growers require thoughtful solutions that will take time to develop,” said Nolan Paul, Group CEO of Yamaha Agriculture. “We believe meaningful innovation in agriculture emerges through close collaboration with growers and industry partners. The capabilities of Robotics Plus in robotics and automation and The Yield in AI-powered analytics represent two important building blocks in addressing these challenges. As we work to bring these technologies together, we are committed to a deliberate approach that prioritizes creating real value for growers while maintaining the high standards of quality and reliability for which Yamaha is known.”

Autonomous technology with data-driven decisions

By combining autonomous equipment with intelligent data insights, Yamaha Agriculture said it can help growers reduce input costs, optimize resource utilization and improve overall farm productivity and sustainability.

The acquisition of Robotics Plus provides an autonomous hybrid vehicle capable of multiple activities including spraying and weed control. Based in New Zealand, the company specializes in developing automation solutions for agriculture, combining expertise in robotics, automation, sensing and data analytics. Its latest development, Prospr, is an autonomous, multi-purpose hybrid vehicle designed to perform a range of orchard and vineyard tasks. Robotics Plus’ innovations also includes the Āporo Fruit Packer, which automates fruit packing, and a robotic log scaler to automate log measurement for trucks and trains.

A Prospr robot shown spraying in an orchard. (Photo: Yamaha Agriculture)

Since 2017, Yamaha Motor, parent company of newly launched Yamaha Agriculture, has supported Robotics Plus with strategic investment to drive development of agricultural automation technologies and to expand its presence in the agtech sector. Following Robotics Plus’ acquisition, the company will reportedly continue to operate its core business at its headquarters in Tauranga, New Zealand.

The Yield brings advanced data analytics and AI-powered models to deliver yield predictions and optimize on and off-farm operations. Yamaha originally signed a joint development agreement with the Australian startup in 2021. 

Yamaha said it would leverage its “long heritage as a trusted manufacturer of high-performance products” to scale the two companies with a focus on quality, reliability and safety. The complementary technologies will be integrated as Yamaha Agriculture to create a comprehensive platform that enables precision farming for growers.

Unmanned ag helicopters

Yamaha said its journey in agricultural automation began nearly 40 years ago with the development of unmanned helicopter technology that made it possible to reach terrain inaccessible to conventional tractors and ground equipment. In Japan’s challenging rice paddy fields, for example, more than 2,200 units now cover 800,000 hectares annually.

Beyond rice fields, the helicopters are used globally for applications such as managing wine grapes, invasive weeds, tree fruit and sugar cane. In the United States, Yamaha’s spray service team is located in Napa, Calif., where it is focused on fungicide applications in wine grapes in the Napa and Sonoma regions.