Alumni ‘R2-D2, Pick Me a Berry’: Alum’s Firm Grows Fruit with Robots Stories You May Like Student-Run Farm Grows Crops—and Community Holy Cows! Brothers (and their Farm) Star on New TV Show Big Red Berries (and Grapes and Apples and Tomatoes and Cukes …) CALS grad Casey Call ’12 co-founded Zordi, which is using AI and other tech to make greenhouse farming more efficient By Melissa Newcomb Inside the six large greenhouses where Casey Call ’12 grows strawberries, there’s plenty of work to be done. Luckily, he has a dedicated staff that’s not only skilled in cultivating the delicate fruits, but works around the clock—and what they lack in personality, they make up for in efficiency. Call is the co-founder and head grower for Zordi, a Boston-based firm that’s pioneering technology to automate greenhouse farming. “Automation is already infiltrating agriculture very deeply, because there are a lot of repetitive tasks that nobody wants to do; trust me, I’ve been doing them,” says Call, whose family includes many famers (and numerous Cornellians). “And those are the things we can use robots for.” At Zordi’s test farm, located in southern New Jersey, robots drive down rows of plants, carefully inspecting each one—sparing growers the tedium of picking through the fruit to check its progress. Using an AI learning model, the robot checks for deviations from a standard, healthy plant. If it finds any, it takes photos and alerts staff to a potential issue, such as disease or poor growth quality. “It doesn’t replace human intervention,” says Call, whose company has also tested its system for use in growing cherry tomatoes. “But it gives a huge boost in workflow.” It doesn’t replace human intervention, but it gives a huge boost in workflow. Call’s experience in agriculture stretches back to childhood. His father (Peter Call ’79) and two uncles (Nathan Call ’76 and Philip Call ’81) operate a third-generation family farm in Western New York, growing potatoes, peas, beans, corn, and more. Stories You May Like Student-Run Farm Grows Crops—and Community Holy Cows! Brothers (and their Farm) Star on New TV Show After graduating from CALS, he headed to California to work for one of the nation’s leading carrot producers. As the youngest employee by two decades, he says, he was tapped to head up technological initiatives like using drones in farming operations. He went on to work for a farm management software firm before becoming the head grower at an indoor vertical farm in San Francisco that specializes in leafy greens. With mom Nellie Gardner Call '82 at Commencement. “There’s a massive hole in the industry: farmers who want technology but don’t know what to ask for, and engineers who could provide that technology but don’t know what questions need to be answered,” says Call, who sits on the advisory council for Cornell AgriTech, the University’s ag research campus in Geneva, NY. “I have made a career out of bridging that gap.” In Zordi’s greenhouses, robots don’t just inspect the strawberries. They also harvest them—moving down the rows, carefully cutting the stems, and placing each ripe fruit directly into its packaging. Call and his co-founder inspect the strawberries. As Call explains, the company has found that robots handle the strawberries more delicately than human hands can, reducing losses during the harvest. Zordi’s berries are currently sold in grocery stores in NYC, New Jersey, and Massachusetts—including in H Mart and Wegmans—and have landed on menus at such fine dining establishments as Eleven Madison Park. In addition to selling its own produce, Zordi is working with other farmers testing the technology—with the aim of having it adopted by growers worldwide. Says Call: “There is immense gratification that comes from knowing I’m feeding people.” Top: A robot harvests ripe strawberries. (All photos provided.) Published April 18, 2025 Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Cornelliana Big Red Books, Perfect for Gifting Quizzes & Puzzles How Much Do You Know About Cornellians in the Movies? Campus & Beyond From Nature’s Structures, Prof Weaves Architectural Creations