Saskatchewan firm wants its camera system to go global
A Saskatchewan tech startup is one of the 15 agtech companies from across Canada and the United Kingdom to join Cohort 5 of Cultivator powered by Conexus’s AgTech Accelerator.
Ultraview Technologies, based in Nipawin, Sask., developed AgVision HD, an IP-based camera system for ag equipment that allows farmers to view around their equipment, between drill rows and in the spray tank with high quality.
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The system, with its multiple cameras, was recently on display at Canada’s Farm Show in Regina.
“We have come to market with a new high resolution implement camera. So, we tackled the market of low-resolution analog systems, and we went the digital route,” said Brad Reykdal, Ultraview Technologies co-founder.
“All of our camera systems are 1080P, and we have both 10-inch and 12-inch screens. And the other nice thing about our system is we have a cart mounted power supply with one cable that comes to the tractor cab.”
The cable sends the info of up to eight cameras to the monitor.
The company says it’s one of the very few models that enables that many cameras to be viewed at once, which is a key difference between it and its competitors.
This cable and the rest of the system ties into the tractor’s power supply and is an “extremely low power draw” of less than 35 watts, even with eight cameras.
The company says AgVision HD has simplified cabling, installation and troubleshooting as well as improved hardware quality.
The AgVision HD monitors are made with aluminum alloy housings and laminated glass touch screens, which the company says make them a bit more durable and longer lasting. Because of this, they are on the higher end of pricing, but Reykdal says the upfront costs pays off with minimal repairs or replacements.
As for the cameras, they can be either white light to see full colour, such as in tanks, or infrared for outside the cab and around equipment. As well, the company says, they can be mounted nearly anywhere.
“We’re rated to go inside the tanks … (and) we can go on the implements themselves,” Reykdal said.
“We’ve got some guys seeding between the rows, so they’re putting cameras on the shanks to see exactly where they’re seeding.”
Reykdal said there’s little worry about damage with the cameras because they’re nitrogen purged and IP67 rated, meaning no water ingress or dust.
However, the system is made up of standalone screens and can’t be integrated into other operating system monitors. Depending on the producer, this can be a positive or a negative, depending on space in their cabs or if they want to be able to view the camera’s images without flipping screens.
Reykdal and co-founder Kyle Boxall formed the company in 2024 and hit markets in 2025.
They’ve been slowly making a name for themselves, attending farm shows such as Manitoba Ag Days and Canada’s Farm Show, and placing as runners-up at the Western Canadian Crop Production Show Innovation Awards this past January.
Their decision to apply for Cultivator’s program was to expedite their growth and reach new markets.
“We’re definitely looking at Australia. Then the U.S. and Europe would be the kind of the three markets,” he said.
“We’ve had many requests from all those areas for the cameras, so trying to navigate the ins and outs of doing those.”
Another aspect they hadn’t considered previously is potato and vegetable farming. They’ve heard from those producers that they need a camera system for planting ease.
Reykdal hopes that the AgTech Accelerator can also help them with company expansion strategies and figuring out how to expedite the import of their manufacturing components.
A lot of their manufacturing is done internationally and then shipped to Nipawin, where it’s assembled. One aspect they would like to change is sourcing more parts from domestic manufacturers.
Cohort 5 will kick off in April, with the finale taking place during Ag in Motion in July.
AgTech Accelerator enables founders to access the resources needed to expand their reach and learn more about the steps in developing their companies. It also provides necessary business connections.
“Cultivator is part of a much larger national and global ecosystem, and our focus is accelerating the path to commercialization,” Laura Mock, Cultivator’s director, said in a press release.
“We work closely with industry partners, farmers, academia and government to help innovators move their technologies from development to real-world adoption.”
Including AgVision HD, there are 11 Canadian companies in the cohort and four from the United Kingdom.
Source: producer.com