John Deere starts strategic collaboration with The Reservoir, a California-based agricultural technology on-farm incubator platform that brings together grower networks and deep tech R&D studios to accelerate innovation in high-value crop (HVC) agriculture.
The partnership links John Deere’s agricultural technology and equipment and grower relationships with the Reservoir’s startup residents, field testing platforms and commercialization support. Through this collaborative effort, John Deere and the Reservoir aim to help HVC growers adopt new solutions that help them do more with less by addressing labor shortages, increasing efficiency and improving long-term sustainability.
“We view high-value crops as an important growth area for agriculture, and an area where innovation is needed and can have a direct, measurable impact on growers’ resilience and productivity,” said Sean Sundberg, business integration manager at John Deere. “This partnership gives us access to the next generation of agricultural technology, and an opportunity to work alongside growers and entrepreneurs to ensure future solutions are practical, scalable and built to last.”
Through the agreement, John Deere becomes the exclusive original equipment manufacturer to the Reservoir, granting branding opportunities across the Reservoir’s Salinas facility and future locations. John Deere will have access to early stage startups, co-developed R&D programs and curated field days for technology demonstrations.
Strategic step
“John Deere’s investment in the Reservoir is a vital strategic step toward making sure specialty crop growers have a chance amid our industry’s labor shortage,” said Walt Duflock, senior vice president of innovation at Western Growers. “The California agricultural technology landscape will thrive thanks to this kind of collaborative effort.”
This partnership brings together John Deere’s agricultural technology ecosystems with the Reservoir’s ability to connect startups, growers and technologists in real-world production environments. By pairing John Deere’s precision ag and automation capabilities with the Reservoir’s on-farm R&D team, the collaboration creates a powerful platform for developing, testing and scaling solutions that address the most pressing challenges in HVCs. This collaboration unites innovation infrastructure with a thriving network of founders, growers and ag labor innovators, signaling a shared long-term commitment to strengthening the productivity, efficiency and sustainability of HVC production in California and beyond.
Shared commitment
The Reservoir connects startups, growers, and technologists to develop and test solutions for HVCs in real-world production environments. John Deere and the Reservoir found alignment through their shared commitment to advancing agricultural crop productivity, combining Deere’s advanced equipment and grower relationships with the Reservoir’s field-based R&D and deep tech network.
“At the Reservoir, we’re focused on accelerating innovation for HVCs and the long-term sustainability of California agriculture,” said Danny Bernstein, CEO of the Reservoir. “John Deere brings trusted technology, technical expertise and commitment to grower support and strength. This partnership strengthens the foundation we’re building and helps unlock the next generation of ag technology in service of our food system.”
