AI agtech startup The Yield has signed a major deal with ASX-listed wine giant Treasury Wine Estates

Agtech startup The Yield Technology Solutions has signed a three-year deal with ASX-listed Treasury Wine Estates to use its machine learning technology to assist with harvest predictions and grape production.

 The Yield’s Sensing+ solution users sensors and analytics to provide information and predictions in apps that help commercial vignerons make key production decisions such as when to irrigate, feed, plant, protect and harvest their grapes

Data generated by Sensing+ will be combined with Treasury’s (ASX: TWE) historical harvest data for harvest prediction models that enable high frequency yield forecasting throughout the growing season.

Ros Harvey, founder and Managing Director of The Yield said Sensing+ fast-tracks digital transformation in the sector.

“The rules and notifications platform helps codify weather-related practice, while our enterprise view enables our customers’ staff to have a unified view across all growing assets right down to the block level, she said.

“This means they can take action on growing conditions such as extreme weather risks, irrigation needs, the best spray conditions and harvest scheduling.”

Based in Sydney, Harvey developed The Yield to transform food and farming practices with scalable digital technology. The tech startup uses machine learning, data science and AI to help increase yield, reduce waste, mitigate the risk and cost associated with bad weather, and aid environmental sustainability.

The Yield focuses on large commercial growers that specialise in intensive irrigated crops particularly in wine grapes, berries, apples, citrus and edible nuts.

TWE produces some of Australian biggest wine brands, including Penfolds, Wolf Blass, Lindemans, Wynns, Rosemount and Squealing Pig. It has 71 vineyards and more than 8,676 planted hectares of grapes in Australia.