WALLA WALLA, WA — innov8.ag, an agtech company enabling actionable data solutions for farms and agribusinesses, announced today the cash and stock acquisition of 2nd Sight Bioscience, an agricultural labor tracking and inventory systems provider.
Kevin Oldenburg, 2nd Sight founder and CEO, will step down from his day-to-day role but will join innov8.ag as a Senior Advisor to ensure a seamless transition and continued product development. The 2nd Sight team will join innov8.ag and continue operating from its headquarters in Spokane, Washington.
"We started with soil health, then plant health by acquiring Bitwise Agronomy for yield forecasting," said Steve Mantle, innov8.ag founder and CEO. "Now, with 2nd Sight, we can integrate labor, yield tracking, and produce traceability with our agronomic and yield forecasting solutions. Our strategic partnership with SWAN Systems adds water, a crucial input for any grower. Combined, we deliver a full end-to-end data ecosystem that specialty crop growers and agribusinesses increasingly need."
Specialty crop growers face mounting challenges from labor shortages and rising costs. In California, farm labor costs have increased eightfold over the past 12 years. Labor now represents 40-60% of total production costs for many specialty crops.
2nd Sight's flagship labor solutions—FairPick and FairTrak—automate harvest tracking and labor management. Workers receive fair, transparent piece-rate compensation while managers gain real-time visibility into crew productivity and yields. The company also offers MobileClock for time-and-attendance, QuickPick for quality-focused harvest, and a suite of inventory tools including StockTrak, TCTrak, TallyTrak, and InstaCaliper.
"Kevin and the 2nd Sight team have built something truly valuable for growers," Mantle added. "Their focus on fairness and transparency in labor operations aligns perfectly with our mission to empower growers with actionable data."
Oldenburg reflected on the decision: "After 18 years building 2nd Sight, I'm confident innov8.ag is the right home for our technology and team. Steve shares our commitment to growers and has the vision to take these tools further than we could alone."
The acquisition positions innov8.ag as a comprehensive data partner for specialty crop operations, from soil analysis through harvest and post-harvest inventory management.
About innov8.ag
innov8.ag enables data-driven decision making for farms and agribusinesses through integrated solutions spanning soil health, crop forecasting, labor operations, and inventory management. Learn more at innov8.ag.
Media Contact:
Steve Mantle, CEO
hello@innov8.ag