June 16, 2021

photo credit: TerraClear

By Lynda Kiernan-Stone, Global AgInvesting Media

Robotic tech startup TerraClear has closed on a $25 million Series A for an automated robotic solution capable of clearing as many as 400 rocks per hour, including moving rocks that weigh as much as 300 pounds. 

Having lived in rocky New England for the majority of my life, this funding hit home. And it seems to be a common sentiment with TerraClear CEO Brent Frei, who said in a company statement, “There are more than 400 million arable acres worldwide that have been waiting for a cost-effective and productive solution to this problem. Repetitive tasks like this are optimal targets for automation, and the technologies we are bringing to the field dramatically reduce the labor and time needed to prep fields for planting.”

This round, which brings total funding for the company to-date to $38 million, was led by Madrona Venture Group, which also led a $6.1 million funding round for the company in May 2019. 

Based in Bellevue, Washington, TerraClear has broken away from typical rock-picking tech design, which has proven to be inefficient, to develop and launch its Rock Picker – a robotic arm implement that can easily be mounted on the front of a skid steer or track loader. The company’s first product launch earlier this year has sold out. However, another run of Rock Pickers is expected to be released on the market later this year, with plans for it to soon be able to be used with tractors or front loaders. 

The Rock Picker works under any field conditions, from traditionally cultivated land to no-till fields, seeded fields, stubble, or pastureland with minimal compaction or disturbance to the soil – a key benefit in modern farming where shifts are occurring toward soil conservation.

This is actually important news to many farmers. First, rock picking is intense back-breaking work. Second, rocks cause more damage than you would think, with medium to large-scale farms incurring costs of between $5,000 – $150,000 per year due to damage to expensive machinery and other problems caused by rocks.

“The TerraClear team has incredible passion and expertise in both the customer base and the technology needed to address this huge problem for farmers,” said Matt McIlwain, managing director, Madrona Venture Group. Rock picking fits into the category of dull, dangerous, and dirty. It’s a perfect application of robotics and AI and we are excited to back this team and mission.”

As part of its end-to-end platform that marries information with a physical solution, TerraClear also offers mapping and clearing services for clients looking to take a plug-and-play approach. Using a third-party drone service, TerraClear maps fields, and uses AI to locate large rocks, which it then deploys its Rock Picker to clear from the field.

Both offerings from the company are of great use to farmers, but together, the company says, their combined level of efficiency opens up channels of opportunity for a profitable service business as well. 

We’re working every day towards a fully autonomous solution for rock picking – and that is a multi-year project,” said Trevor Thompson, president, TerraClear. “Along the way, we’re building solutions that solve this problem better than anything out there. The TerraClear team’s iterative approach to building means getting real solutions in the hands of farmers faster.”

–Lynda Kiernan-Stone is editor with GAI Media, and is managing editor and daily contributor for Global AgInvesting’s AgInvesting Weekly News and  Agtech Intel News, as well as HighQuest Group’s Oilseed & Grain News. She can be reached at lkiernan@globalaginvesting.com.