Budweiser maker Anheuser-Busch InBev is partnering with an Illinois startup to use data and predictive analytics to help farmers improve barley production.
AB InBev announced Wednesday that it has partnered with Champaign-based Agrible, which provides software to farmers that helps them detect disease threats, improve logistics planning, and monitor their crops.
Agrible will work with AB InBev's SmartBarley platform, which the beer maker launched in 2013 to give farmers access to data that helps them improve crop performance. Those farmers will now have access to Agrible's Morning Farm Report, which gives daily information on weather forecasts, yield projections, nutrition estimates and seed performance predictions.
It's a significant partnership for the five-year-old startup, which also recently raised $9.7 million in new funding. AB InBev is the largest brewer in the world, and the biggest user of malt barley.
AB InBev will expand Agrible’s technology to multiple countries, beginning with South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, Brazil, and Argentina.
“We are very excited to form this relationship with AB InBev to continue bringing world class software, predictive analytics, and expertise to farmers everywhere,” Chris Harbourt, CEO of Agrible, said in a statement. “Our insights can truly change the face of agriculture across the globe and help companies of all sizes capture efficiencies and make their operations more sustainable.”
Agrible has raised over $13 million to date, and its customers also include Archer Daniels Midland and General Mills.
