At a critical juncture for agriculture as California faces its fourth year of severe drought, San Luis Obispo, California-based Hortau Corp., a leading precision irrigation management firm, has secured a $5 million investment from the $154.5 million USDA-licensed, Rural Business Investment Company (RBIC), Advantage Capital Agribusiness Partners LP (ACAP).
Hortau’s advanced irrigation system uses a ‘plant-centric’ approach to water management – detecting plant stress levels using soil tension, and through the use of its mobile software, reporting to the farmer the health of the crops in real time, before stresses from a lack of aeration or moisture can have a negative effect upon the crop. This early detection can help secure optimal growth while also reducing the environmental impacts of agricultural production and water and energy use.
“Hortau’s proven soil sensing technology provides farmers with a tremendous value proposition in terms of both crop yield improvements and water conservation, which is driving strong growth in the business,” said Timothy Hassler, Principal at Advantage Capital.
As water availability, efficiency and management continue to become new-normal concerns for U.S. farmers, this investment will help fund Hortau’s expansion of its U.S. operations, its services for its mobile platform, and its on-the-ground irrigation systems.
Agriculture as a whole is rapidly evolving through the integration of data-based systems and technologies into everyday production practices. Jocelyn Boudreau, Hortau chief executive adds, “Our technology is right in line with this trend, enabling growers to make better use of water resources and of various ag inputs while optimizing their return. This new partnership with Advantage Capital will allow us to make our system more affordable and accessible to our growers, accelerating adoption and creating a true win-win situation for the industry.”
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