One of the most important times of the year for farmers is winter, and it’s all because of a crop that isn’t part of their harvest.
Cover crops are a plant that farmers will sow over a field in the off season to help the soil replenish. Farmers use these crops — like crimson clover or buckwheat — to help replenish the nutrients in the soil.
But cover crops serve important roles beyond adding nitrogen to the soil or preventing erosion. Certain cover crops take a more active role.
Biologists refer to certain plants as “miners,” “scavengers” and “carriers.” These three roles refer to the way that plants interact with nutrients. Some plants, like oats, are scavengers, which means they can collect nutrients but can’t access the nutrients stored in organic matter. Scavengers will hold onto those nutrients and release them back into the soil if the farmer wants, which means that over crops are the winter time heroes behind our food.
This month, Built In Seattle is highlighting an agricultural tech company that cares for its employees and customers just like farmers care for their soil with cover crops — with an attention to detail and letting each worker do what they do best.
Carbon Robotics is an agricultural tech company that builds automatic robots, like the LaserWeeder.
A unique in-office environment: Carbon Robotics has a mix of remote and onsite workers, who commute to their Seattle headquarters. The company is known for having a fun in-office environment, where you might even see a furry, or feathery, friend. “I don’t know another company that allows chickens, ducks, sheep, goats and pigs in the office,” said Frontend Software Engineer Ansel Santosa in a Built In employee review of Carbon Robotics.
Taking customer service to a new level: Carbon Robotics employees take customer service seriously. If a farmer has issues with a piece of Carbon Robotics machinery, it’s not uncommon for employees to take a road trip to help. “I have seen 10-15 people, from all different departments in the company, out at a customer’s machine trying to put their heads together and find a resolution to the problem the customer is facing,” said Mason Fontes, implementation manager at Carbon Robotics. “That kind of support is very hard to find these days, and we have no intention of changing how we support our customers. They will continue to receive the best service and support in the ag industry.”
