VISALIA, CALIF. — After a successful one-year trial in California grape vineyards, Oppy is investing in its first-ever technology venture, a partnership with AI specialist Bloomfield Robotics. 

Bloomfield’s proprietary FLASH camera is attached to a moving vehicle, such as an ATV or tractor, and as it moves through the orchard, it takes pixel-by-pixel data. That data is then processed through its deep learning AI to forecast and manage yield down to the cluster level, detecting and measuring morphologic and phenotypic information to inform decisions and enhance the performance and health of every plant. 

“Grapes are just the beginning,” said Garland Perkins, who leads innovative efforts at Oppy as senior manager of innovation and sustainability. “We’re confident that we’ll roll this tech out into other categories in the near future — and with Oppy’s diverse portfolio, we have a wide array of applications to trial.” 

While its forecasting capabilities provide significantly more data than in-field scouting, according to Perkins, the AI also helps strategically guide the grower’s commercial crop decisions with precise accuracy.

“We’re honored and excited to be working so closely with Oppy in an effort to further digitalize their crops,” said Mark DeSantis, CEO of Bloomfield. “Our team looks forward to supporting Oppy, a company that has grown and delivered fruits and vegetables from around the world for nearly 165 years.”