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Nearly 200 farmers, agricultural professionals, researchers and technology developers came by car and bus on Aug. 6 to Sabor Farms/Top Flavor Farms adjacent to Hwy 156 between Hollister and San Juan Bautista to see innovative tools for coastal vegetable production.
As the crowd walked along a dirt road leading into one of the fields of newly planted vegetables, participants could hear what sounded like the screech of a falcon flying overhead. But there wasn’t a raptor in sight. Instead, the high-pitch cry was coming from a small drone built by Skysense, a Kennewick, Washington company, that is used to keep birds away from vegetable crops, vineyards and orchards.
Hannah Johnson, spokeswoman for the sponsors of the University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources’ Connect Field Day, said the event was designed to provide in-depth understanding of how technology and innovation play a role in agriculture in California.
“UC ANR has been hosting an innovation program called Connect, where we scout and vet technology that growers are looking for,” she said. “This year is the first time we decided, ‘why aren’t we partnering on this?’ So, we’ve been working over the last few months to find the exact tech that growers really need to see to solve their biggest problems.”
The event was sponsored by UC ANR, and the California Leafy Greens Research Board, as well as the California Specialty Crop Council.
Johnson said the developers are vetted and prepped to be ready to show off their products at a farm before inviting growers from throughout the state. She said that by demonstrating their products in the field they’re hoping to sell or lease them to domestic as well as foreign growers.
“This year we have an international delegation of Brazilian farmers that came for this,” she said. “We have a delegation of Hungarian farmers that also came for this event. There aren’t a lot of folks that are just looking for the tool that a farmer says they need, making sure it works. And we do that both with the business case and the tool itself and then putting it in a field for free so everybody can see it.”
Nine technology companies lined up at various stations along the dirt road and representatives of each touted the advantages and costs of their products. All but two were specifically designed to mitigate weeds or provide care for the various crops.
- Carbon Robotics, Seattle, Washington
The company showed its AI-powered agriculture for non nonchemical weed control using a LaserWeeder G2, equipped with cameras to scan crop rows in real time, distinguish weeds from crops, and direct enclosed lasers at each weed’s growing point, destroying them without disturbing the soil or applying herbicides.
- Ecorobotix, Pasco, Washington and Switzerland
The company builds a tractor-mounted ultra-high-precision sprayer for specialty crops. Cameras scan the field, AI algorithms distinguish crops from weeds, and 156 individually controlled nozzles apply products. It can apply selective or nonselective herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, fertilizers, and crop-thinning products.
- High Degree, Salinas
The product injects steam into the soil before planting crops. Heat treatment can control weed seeds and soilborne pathogens without leaving chemical residues or requiring fumigant buffer zones. Treatment depth can be adjusted for specific crops and target pests.
- Mantis Ag, Gonzales
The product uses machine vision to identify crops and weeds, allowing its precision sprayers to simultaneously thin, apply beneficial materials, and perform intra-row banding, improving efficiency and saving growers money.
- Niqo Robotics, Bengaluru, India
An AI-powered, tractor-mounted thinner designed for commercial vegetable operations. Cameras identify individual plants as targeted nozzles thin and irradiate weeds. It’s designed to operate in weedy fields and provide consistent plant spacing.
- Verdant Robotics, Hayward
The company offers a tractor-mounted, precision-application system called the SharpShooter, equipped with cameras and AI to detect and track individual crops and weeds, then aim discrete micro-shots only at selected plants and weeds instead of a wide-spread pattern across the entire field.
- Sami Robotics, Varennes, Quebec, Canada
The company builds a multifunctional field platform for labor-intensive operations. The demonstration was its first using cameras, AI, and multiple robotic arms to identify and selectively harvest market-ready vegetables. As it works, it records crop information that can help forecast what will be ready for harvest in the coming days. The presenter said that it essentially replaces field workers, “not because there aren’t skilled workers, but because it is difficult to even find skilled workers.”
- Skysense, Kennewick, Washington
Remotely supervised drones patrol fields to deter birds, while high-resolution and multispectral imaging is analyzed with AI to map fields, count crop plants and weeds, identify crop stress, and monitor weed pressure. The company also offers data collection, analysis and reporting.
- Integrated Drip Irrigation Trailer
This product was developed by a team led by UC Cooperative Extension irrigation and water resources advisor Michael Cahn and assembled by Brigantino Irrigation in Hollister. It combines filtration, pressure regulation, flow management and sensors with automated reporting via the cloud to CropManage. It’s a free open-source system that allows irrigators to remotely monitor pressure and flow across multiple plantings, reduce travel between fields, and make informed irrigation and nitrogen-management decisions using field, weather, soil and crop data.
BenitoLink thanks our underwriter, San Benito County Farm Bureau , for helping expand the agriculture coverage around San Benito County. San Benito County Farm Bureau is state and national network of farmers. They are the largest agricultural organization dedicated to providing support to farmers and ranchers. All editorial decisions are made by BenitoLink.
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