New joint venture Acova set to transform grain quality assessment with cutting-edge visual analysis technology

A new joint venture between Australia’s biggest grain exporter and a Perth-based tech company is set to commercialise world-first technology that uses machine learning to analyse the quality of grain deliveries. WA grain growers have been getting a clearer picture of their grain quality, literally, in recent years thanks to the new piece of visual analysis technology developed by CBH Group and Deimos during the past five years. Now, the farmer-owned co-operative and Deimos have formed the new joint venture called Acova to commercialise the cutting-edge technology currently being rolled out across a number of CBH’s upcountry receival sites. Acova’s flagship product is a high-tech device — roughly the size of an office printer — called a rapid quality analyser. It uses machine learning algorithms and custom hardware to detect grain defects, foreign material and weed seeds in wheat, barley and oats by analysing thousands of images. It’s a job usually done by the human eye, with room for human error, but Acova representatives say the technology has garnered positive feedback from both grain growers and CBH employees for its speed, consistency and transparency. The new device was first trialled at CBH Group’s grain receival sites at Pingrup and Pingaring but is now being rolled out more widely across WA in time for this year’s grain harvest, which starts next month. The machine uses high-resolution cameras and smart software to analyse grain quality traits in a matter of seconds, removing much of the subjectivity and variation that can come with manual sampling. Results show that analysis times have been reduced, and CBH’s farmer members receive the added benefit of real-time visibility of the defect images in the sample via CBH’s CDF app. CBH head of grain technology Craig McLure has taken on the role of Acova’s interim chief executive while recruitment for a permanent leader is under way. He labelled the joint venture a “success story” for WA innovation and the grains industry, with the State’s grain farmers on track to deliver a 21 million tonne grain crop worth more than $10 billion to the State’s economy in 2025-26. “Acova is committed to harnessing technology to improve the assessment of grain quality across the whole supply chain,” Dr McLure said. “We’re excited to bring this innovation to scale and explore its potential across broader supply chains.” Dr McLure said Acova was refining its suite of products and would continue to invest in research and development to expand the capabilities of the visual analysis technology, which could be rolled out in other areas of agriculture or different industries. Deimos was started by brothers Andrew, Jeremy and Peter Hadfield in 2020, with the trio collaborating with CBH Group from inception and presenting their first prototype to the grain giant for consideration in 2021. Deimos’ contribution to the Acova technology also won the company the innovation category at the WA Government’s 2024 WA Innovator of the Year Awards. CBH plans to standardise visual grain analysis across the network, speeding up turnaround times and giving growers greater confidence in the grading process.