If there is one fundamental element for agriculture, and in particular for cherry production, it is the climate; having timely and accurate information can make the difference when it comes to good production.
Activating frost control systems, quantifying cold hours or accumulated degree days, precipitation, among other data, are actions that can currently be known thanks to the online and real-time monitoring offered by Cogrowers.
The company was founded 5 years ago, after its founding partners Matías Navarrete, Diego Correa and Salvador Correa, worked in various companies linked to agriculture: «We saw that although technology was being incorporated into agriculture, it was not being genuinely integrated into the reality of life in the fields; we felt that there was a perception in the sector that technology implied grandiose devices and that it could only be achieved through significant investments. On the other hand, we know that this is an industry that requires maximum optimization of resources and, therefore, not everyone can access these great (and sometimes very necessary) technological investments, such as, for example, the stations. meteorological. Finally, we saw that technology felt even more distant and the journey to reach it ended up being at times somewhat hopeless given the idealized concept of what technology is and how it can be integrated into the agricultural world." said Matias Navarrete.
It was during this difficult period that they realized that they could make a great contribution to agriculture with the help of simple technology (which works on a small scale) but has a large-scale impact.
“The first industry we entered was the wine industry, offering a powerful but at the same time very easy-to-use platform. This is focused on managing grape harvests in real time, which facilitates planning, administration and control. Since then, the company has already incorporated 3 more services and has managed to form a solid and multidisciplinary work team.”, explained Navarrete, founding partner of Cogrowers.
Cogrowers currently offers four services:
1) Online platform for processing data generated in each sector of a field: This is the service most in demand by cherry growers, as it allows for improved decision-making based on the processed data that has been reported by each particular sector of the field.
“It is important to emphasize that what our platform does is not a report of smart sensors, and for that reason, we do not seek to compete with the stations meteorological. While we offer these smart sensors that feed the platform's data, the technology that the client already has (stations) meteorological or others), is integrated as a data complement to our platform. It is not something exclusive at all. In fact, many of the producers who are now part of Cogrowers already had this type of technology”, said Matias Navarrete.
2) Tracking cargo transfer conditions: Low-cost technology and one way which allows you to monitor temperature, humidity, light, shocks and has GPS, among other things.
3) Platform for real-time management of grape harvests: It enables efficient coordination of logistics (for example, optimization of warehouse use, availability of sampling analysis information with integration of Dyostem, SAP, Oracle, etc.).
4) Development of technological platforms according to the specific needs of each client.
“We have had a surprising reception in other industries (not only fruit) such as salmon farming, fruit exporters, pharmaceutical companies, etc. The interesting thing about this is how dynamic each service is becoming, since the services have evolved according to what the clients put on the table. In the end, it is a team effort where we have managed to adapt more and more to the needs that they have in general as a sector and each one of them individually,” clarified Matias Navarrete.
The development of agroclimatology marked a turning point in agriculture. Today, thanks to technology, decisions can be made in orchards and fields with the greatest possible information, which allows for better results, high production potential and less damage from climatic factors such as frost, rain, hail, etc.
In the case of cherry production, the services provided by Cogrowers are essential.
“The data provided in real time is decisive for decision-making at critical moments of the phenological stages of cherries, for example, during frosts. But not only is the hard data relevant, it is also very important what conclusions you can draw from that data (and that is what we do when processing it through our platform). Equally relevant is, for example, the moment in which that information is transmitted (configurable reports according to the client's criteria), how you make it reach (whatsapp alerts, repeated and simultaneous calls, etc.) the agents that you need to act or make those decisions. All this coordinated communication is achieved thanks to how user-friendly our platform is. What this system does is facilitate decision-making since with the information processed, We simplify as much as possible the processes that run the risk of becoming a cumbersome fog of information," explained Matías Navarrete, Founding Partner of the company.
Cogrowers provides the industry with high-precision, simple, and affordable technological tools. It also delivers information processed in real time, which allows online monitoring of different agroclimatological data.
“The fact of “democratising” agricultural technology makes the market more competitive. Not in the sense that one producer is better than another, but rather that it helps each one in particular to incorporate new practices that lead him to be more competent in what he does. Cogrowers’ contribution is that we manage to deliver an information framework with a very clear overview that favours quick, on-site decision-making. All this thanks to the availability of already processed information in a timely and precise manner, but no less forceful for that.” concluded from Cogrowers.
