June 7, 2023
Agriculture is an integral part of the Canadian economy. It provides 1 in 9 Canadian jobs and makes up 6.8% of Canada’s GDP. Recently, there have been calls for a national strategy and increased innovation in the sector. Picketa Systems is taking advantage of this demand and a nearly 6% compound annual growth rate to make a name for itself in the Canadian agricultural market.
Picketa Systems is a New Brunswick-based agriculture startup that raised $1.4 million to develop an onsite plant tissue analysis system for farmers. The new technology received funding from Tall Grass Ventures, Startup TNT, Koan Capital, along with numerous others. It allows farms to quickly assess the quality of their potato crops without sending samples to a laboratory. This saves farmers time and allows for a faster reaction to nutrient-related issues.
In contrast, the current process for assessing plant nutrients is time-consuming, requiring access to a physical laboratory. Farmers typically obtain a minimum of 20 different samples from various areas in their fields and send at least 100 grams of material to the lab. Nevertheless, these fertility management processes are valuable for farms, helping to ensure that more crops succeed.
Picketa Systems plans to expand its technology to support other crops in the near future. Time will tell whether Picketa Systems’ technology causes innovative disruption to the agricultural industry.
Adam Dickinson