John Deere pays $380m for farmbot start-up

Farm equipment maker John Deere is banking on machine learning to change the way crops are grown, stumping up US$305 million (A$380 million) for a start-up in the space. Deere said it would "fully acquire" Blue River Technology but allow the 60-person company to remain in California "with an objective to continue its rapid growth and innovation with the same entrepreneurial spirit that has led to its success". The buyout is expected to close in September. Blue River Technology makes two "bots" armed with computer vision and machine learning that can be towed by a traditional tractor. The LettuceBot is used to recognise and remove unwanted lettuce seedlings in order to maximise the crop.