The Michigan Israel Business Accelerator recently hosted five Israeli agriculture technology companies at the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo, held in Grand Rapids, Mich., from Dec. 10-12.
The expo—one of the largest annual gatherings of fruit and vegetable growers and farm marketers in North America—had more than 5,000 attendees, 60% of whom work as fruit and vegetable farmers.
The Israeli companies Agam Greenhouse Energy Systems, CropX, NESS Fertigation, Robotic Perception and TierraSpec were invited to present their products and developments at the expo’s “Innovation Row,” per a release from the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest.
“Our company, NESS Fertigation, has a technology that helps plants absorb fertilizer better, which significantly increases agricultural yields,” company CEO Gai Boger told JNS. “In our last test that we did with the Ministry of Agriculture in Israel, we have achieved an increase of yield by 60% in cucumbers while reducing fertilizer use by 20%.”
“Our innovation is changing the delivery method and collecting real-time data from the plant and soil in order to calculate the optimal fertilizer concentration for the plant,” Boger added.
Agam Greenhouse Energy Systems develops methods for cooling, heating and dehumidifying greenhouses. CropX created an app to provide data about soil and climate using crop intelligence and digital tools. Robotic Perception uses technology to reduce pest populations. TierraSpec has developed mapping to optimize soil health and fertility.
