John Deere partners on high-value crop innovation

John Deere announced the start of a strategic collaboration with the Reservoir, a California-based agricultural technology on-farm incubator platform that brings together grower networks and deep tech R&D studios to accelerate innovation in high-value crop (HVC) agriculture.

The strategic collaboration between John Deere and the Reservoir seeks to address the most pressing challenges in high-value crop agriculture. (Photo: John Deere)

The partnership will link John Deere’s advanced precision ag and automation capabilities and deep grower relationships with the Reservoir’s on-farm R&D team, startup residents, field testing platforms and commercialization support to create a platform for developing, testing and scaling solutions that address the most pressing challenges in HVCs.

“At the Reservoir, we’re focused on accelerating innovation for HVCs and the long-term sustainability of California agriculture,” said Danny Bernstein, CEO of the Reservoir. “John Deere brings trusted technology, technical expertise and a real commitment to grower support and strength. This partnership strengthens the foundation we’re building and helps unlock the next generation of ag technology in service of our food system.”

Through the agreement, John Deere becomes the exclusive OEM to the Reservoir, granting branding opportunities across the Reservoir’s Salinas, Calif., facility and future locations. John Deere will have access to early-stage startups, co-developed R&D programs and curated field days for technology demonstrations.

“We view high-value crops as an important growth area for agriculture, and an area where innovation is needed and can have a direct, measurable impact on growers’ resilience and productivity,” said Sean Sundberg, business integration manager at John Deere. “This partnership gives us a front-row seat to the next generation of agricultural technology, and an opportunity to work alongside growers and entrepreneurs to ensure future solutions are practical, scalable and built to last.”

The goal is to help HVC growers adopt new solutions that help them do more with less by addressing labor shortages, increasing efficiency and improving long-term sustainability.

“John Deere’s investment in the Reservoir is a vital strategic step toward making sure specialty crop growers have a fighting chance amid our industry’s labor shortage,” said Walt Duflock, senior vice president of innovation at Western Growers, which represents regional family farmers growing HVCs. “The California agricultural technology landscape will thrive thanks to this kind of collaborative effort.”

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