At its inaugural Ruggedize conference, Reservoir announced a $10 million, three-year R&D partnership with John Deere to accelerate real-world development and commercialization of rugged AI technologies for high-value crop agriculture.
The partnership builds on a relationship that began when Reservoir was founded in 2024 and reflects Deere's commitment to an innovation ecosystem that moves faster from prototype to grower impact.
“John Deere is committed to helping high-value crop growers do more with less, and that requires strong innovation built in the field, not just in the lab,” said Jason Brantley, vice president of production systems, small ag & turf at John Deere. “Real-world validation is a key part of Deere’s mission and helps ensure new solutions are addressing real challenges farmers are facing. Automation on the farm is addressing the immediate labor and efficiency needs of the industry, and Reservoir is also helping explore what innovations come next across data, connectivity and other emerging agtech solutions.”
The partnership helps Reservoir broaden access to its on-farm technical community by subsidizing startup participation and lowering barriers for founders entering the ecosystem. It will also expand opportunities for innovation in rural communities by connecting entrepreneurs and deep-tech engineers more directly with growers, farm operations and industry partners across California, Arizona and soon other key agricultural regions.
Since opening its Salinas and Sonoma sites in spring of 2026, Reservoir Farms has already welcomed more than 20 startups, underscoring early traction for its field-based model.
“We’ve been able to manifest our vision for Reservoir thanks in no small part to the generous partnership of John Deere,” said Danny Bernstein, CEO of Reservoir. “This multi-year commitment gives startups greater access to the infrastructure, field conditions and strategic relationships they need to prove the value of rugged AI for commercial agriculture faster.”
Earlier this year, Western Growers announced its own three-year commitment to Reservoir. Together, the Deere and Western Growers commitments give Reservoir the strategic backing and grower relationships needed to advance its field-based model for rugged AI innovation.
Reservoir announced the partnership at its inaugural Ruggedize conference, a forum focused on rugged AI and its application across agriculture and other industrial sectors, including mining and construction. With participation from leaders from USDA, the FBI, Nvidia, Google, Amazon, and leading technology companies, as well as strong support from agtech startups and established industry players, the event underscored Reservoir’s growing role as a connector between deep tech and farm-level impact.
About Reservoir
Reservoir is a technical community and new rural institution that combines an agricultural innovation platform with a venture capital fund to advance the impact of rugged AI in critical industries, especially agriculture. Reservoir Farms are the world’s first on-farm robotics innovation centers, starting in the Salinas Valley and expanding to other key regions across California and the American West. Reservoir VC backs startups solving real problems in specialty crops that compound to other outdoor industries and across the rugged AI stack. By combining R&D space, hands-on grower input, and early-stage capital, Reservoir helps turn promising ideas into tools for the growers who feed the world. Learn more at https://reservoir.co.
SOURCE: Reservoir
