New Brunswick agricultural technology company, Picketa Systems, closed their CAD 300,000 pre-seed investment round to deploy their innovative plant nutrient analysis and decision support system to the Atlantic Canadian potato industry. Growers and agri-service providers in the region will now be able to leverage real-time analysis of their plant tissue samples to improve their fertilizer use efficiency and crop yield and quality.
In 2021, Picketa Systems worked closely with nine New Brunswick potato farms to collect the data needed to develop the technology. In 2022, the company returns with its first product offering to enhance the plant sampling and nutrient analysis process.
The investment will allow Picketa Systems to closely follow and support their early adopters through the first growing season with the system. It will also fund research and development to improve the technology, incorporate customer feedback, and accelerate deploying systems in different regions and crops.
The solution comes at a critical time for growers as fertilizer prices are soaring globally. In Prince Edward Island, the potato board reported seeing fertilizer prices increase by 75 to 100 percent from last year’s growing season to this upcoming one.
Xavier Hébert-Couturier, Co-Founder and CEO of Picketa Systems:
“With these resources, we can launch our on-site analysis stations in multiple regions and start working with many more farms and agri-service providers directly. We will also benefit from our value-add investors who bring a a wealth of experience and knowledge to the team with their wide range of backgrounds, from managing farms to building technology companies and so much more.”
“We have received great support from the agriculture a community so far and are excited to see the positive impact of our solution.”
With the system advancements and case studies generated in the Summer 2022 growing season, Picketa plans to expand its service across the Americas next year and add support for different crops. The real-time plant analysis station will be available in many key farming regions outside of Atlantic Canada in 2023.
Picketa Systems’ goal remains to provide the agricultural industry with detailed crop nutrient information to support the transition toward sustainable agriculture and food security through precision agriculture technologies.
