Skysense

07/31/2026

Skysense was on the ground yesterday at the annual viticulture field day hosted by Washington State University and the Washington State Grape Society, with our Chief Agronomic Officer Patrick Williams and agronomy intern Lance representing the team.

The day started in Prosser with a hands-on look at soil health — soil pits, w**d resistance trials, and the science behind what's really happening beneath the vine row — then moved to Ciel du Cheval Vineyard in Benton City for a tour of irrigation technology, from leaf wetness sensors to infrared imagery used to flag sunburn risk.

It's a good reminder of what we see in the field every season: growers protect yield when they have reliable data to act on, whether that's soil moisture, w**d pressure, or bird activity.

Annual viticulture field day from WSU Viticulture Extension and Washington State Grape Society featured soil health research and irrigation technology.
https://goodfruit.com/soil-and-sensors-featured-at-viticulture-field-day-in-eastern-washington/

07/07/2026

That's Monday afternoon in a blueberry field.

Birds go quiet and hunker down when a storm rolls through — so the Skysense drone reads the same conditions and returns to base to recharge. No one in the field managing it. No radio calls, no manual restart.

When the weather clears and birds are back out foraging, it's already charged and ready to go. That's the job: matching real bird activity, in real field conditions, automatically.

06/30/2026

Right now, blueberry fields across the Pacific Northwest look like the photo on the left: full, heavy clusters of berries at peak color, the payoff for a full season of work.

The photo on the right is what happens next if birds get to the crop first.

Blueberries are an easy target, with nothing to slow down a flock once they find a block worth coming back to. And once they find it, they come back over and over to take a big bite out of your yield.

Harvest is just beginning. There's still time to put a plan in place before bird pressure builds through peak season.

If you want to see what easy and reliable bird deterrence looks like on your own fields, we'd be glad to walk you through it. Request a demo today — no pressure, just a conversation about what's eating into your crop and what to do about it.

06/28/2026

Happy National Rainier Cherry Day — celebrated today, June 28, by the people who know this fruit best: Washington growers. 🍒
Developed by a WSU researcher, this extraordinary cherry has a sweetness and flavor that makes them worth every extra mile a grower puts in.
But that makes this number all the more painful: birds eat almost one-third of the crop every season.
One-third of a fruit that has to be hand-picked to avoid bruising, laid out over reflective foil to develop its color, and tended with a level of care that most crops never see.
Rainier growers fight for every piece of this fruit. Protecting that crop is exactly what we show up for.

WSU Tree Fruit / Washington State University
Washington State Tree Fruit Association

What's the secret behind our state's juicy Rainier cherries? Simple: the hard work and dedication of our orchards' farmers and workers who ensure, year after year, that these golden orbs remain a staple of our communities and economy. 🧑‍🌾 🍒

It's no small feat.

Firstly, Rainier cherries are not so easy to grow. Due to their delicate skin, they bruise easily and must be carefully hand picked. And because of their vulnerabilities to weather, temperature, and predators, growers have to take strong protective measures, including nets and windscreens.

Then, there's the post-picking, cooling process to ensure freshness, before delicate sorting and handling. Finally, whether by truck or other transportation method, the fruit needs to stay refrigerated until reaching your local stores and markets.

It's a time-consuming, painstaking, and costly endeavor. But thanks to our orchard stewards, it results in a taste cherry-lovers around the world look forward to year after year.

Show your support by grabbing a bag today. Happy National Rainier Cherry Day!

06/25/2026

Introducing another incredible member of our Skysense intern team — Salvador Orozco!

Salvador is a Touchet, WA native heading into his junior year at WSU Pullman, studying Agricultural Technology & Management — the very same program our agronomist Patrick graduated from in 2006. When Patrick had the chance to mentor Salvador through a project in his AFS 102 course, it was Cougs mentoring Cougs in the best possible way — and we're so glad that connection brought Salvador to our team this summer. He's now flying remote drone missions with his Part 107 certification and doing field work alongside us in the Pacific Northwest. This is exactly why mentorship in agriculture matters. Welcome, Salvador!

WSU College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences

06/18/2026

Don't let birds take a bite out of your profits!

Harvest season means one thing for a lot of growers: a race against the clock to get fruit in before birds find it first. A single flock of birds can do real damage to a block in 48 hours, often before anyone notices.

The good news is bird pressure is predictable, even if it's not always preventable with the same old tools. Knowing the threat window matters as much as having a plan for it.

What's been your biggest bird challenge this season — and what have you tried so far?

06/17/2026

Strong size, strong color, high quality fruit — that's the early word on Northwest cherries this season from the Washington State Tree Fruit Association.

That's good news worth protecting! As harvest gets closer, so does the bird pressure window — usually the last 2-3 weeks before picking, right when sugar content rises. If you're a cherry grower watching this season closely, now's a good time to have a bird deterrent plan in place.

The Washington State Tree Fruit Association says crop quality looks promising despite ongoing drought conditions.

06/16/2026

Meet Lance Robinson — Skysense intern, drone pilot, and future ag innovator!
Lance is a Richland, WA native heading into his senior year at WSU Pullman, where he's studying Field Crop Management with a minor in Precision Agriculture. With his FAA Part 107 drone license in hand, Lance is flying missions, doing GIS work, and getting his boots dirty in the field with our team this summer. Whether he's in the air or on the ground, Lance brings energy and a love for agriculture that fits right in here at Skysense. Welcome to the crew, Lance!

WSU College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences

06/11/2026

Written by Heidi Pitts (Sponsored) Harvest season is coming. For growers of blueberries, cherries, apples, and other high-value crops, tight labor, thin margins, and relentless bird pressure are constants. With bird damage costing the U.S. fruit industry hundreds of millions of dollars annually — ...

06/04/2026

Bird damage is one of the most persistent and costly threats facing blueberry growers today. As The South Carolina Grower notes, traditional deterrents like air cannons and reflective tape offer limited, inconsistent results at commercial scale.

There's a smarter approach.

Skysense deploys semiautonomous drones to actively patrol crops and deter birds with precision — no noise pollution, no labor overhead, and no gaps in coverage. Our technology gives growers a proactive line of defense that scales with their operation.

Bird pressure doesn't take a day off. Neither do we.

What happened to these blueberries Humans aren’t the only things that love blueberries. Birds treated these berries like a buffet. Birds are one of our biggest pests in blueberries. It is pre…