Bitwater Farms

Oct 26, 2016

Enlarge Sean McDonald is president of Bitwater Farms, which offers systems to help farmers raise… more Sacramento agricultural technology company Bitwater Farms Inc. is building out a research and development center in North Carolina. Enlarge Sean McDonald is president of Bitwater Farms, which offers systems to help farmers raise… more The company has recently concentrated on setting up its cricket habitats on farms in North Carolina because 60 percent of U.S. poultry is raised there and in Georgia, said Sean McDonald , president of Bitwater. The research center is in Asheville, North Carolina, where McDonald attended college at the University of North Carolina Asheville. McDonald has been a road warrior for the company for several months, hitting 10 cities in the past five weeks, he said. Bitwater made presentations at farm technology shows, such as the South by Southwest Eco event in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 11, the annual Ag Innovation Showcase in St. Louis in September and at the new South by South Lawn technology event at the White House in Washington on Oct. 3. Crickets are high in protein and need little water to survive. They eat plants or plant waste, so many farms can feed them with byproducts and trimmings. Crickets' high protein content makes them good feed for chickens or aquaculture. Also, the little water that crickets need makes them potentially an attractive feed for drought-stricken California poultry and egg producers. Bitwater’s habitat system monitors and can control temperature, humidity and soil moisture, and it can be used with a streaming webcam to visually monitor the crickets in real time on a smart phone. The company raised $900,000 from investors in June, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Once the North Carolina operation is up and running, McDonald said he anticipates working about three months a year in Asheville and spending the balance of the year in Sacramento. "In reality, I'm living on a plane," he said. Mark Anderson covers technology, agriculture, banking and finance, venture capital, energy, mining and hospitality for the Sacramento Business Journal. Related Content