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Farmers from around San Benito County gathered Aug. 7 at Top Flavor Farms off Hwy 156 between Hollister and San Juan Bautista to learn about some of the latest technology being used in their industry.
Tech companies and farms showcased 17 specialized machines they offer or use in their operations, ranging from automated planting, weeding and spraying to the use of drones for pest control.
The showcase at the San Juan Valley farm was part of the California Specialty Crops Council annual tour of the Central and Salinas valleys, sponsored by the California Leafy Greens Research Board.
Among the new tech showcased was steam fumigation. Austin Bowie with High Degree Ag Machinery said his prototype can fumigate just weeds or can target diseases located deeper in the soil. He added the machine can be configured to work with different sized rows, also known as beds, where crops grow.
California Leafy Greens Research Board Executive Director Jennifer Skidgel-Clarke said such technology could replace the current practice of using methyl bromide to sterilize the soil. Methyl bromide is considered highly toxic.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), methyl bromide has been a pest and disease control solution for decades, killing soilborne and postharvest pests.
Another technology showcased was the use of drones for pest control.
“One drone here is putting out beneficial insects, which we would use instead of chemicals to control pests in the field,” Skidgel-Clarke said.
Other machines, known as “see and spray technology,” apply pesticides only on plants instead of the entire soil bed.
“That’s an amazing way to reduce the pesticides we’re putting out to the environment,” Skidgel-Clarke said, adding it would reduce pesticide use by up to 80%.
Daniel Alameda with Top Flavor Farms said it’s fun participating in the evolution of the industry.
“In the last five years, rapid, exciting changes have been happening,” he said. “Between AI, camera guidance, drones and autonomy, we’re having some viable, cost-effective solutions that we can implement into our farm immediately.”
Among the new technologies that Top Flavor has adopted are automated thinners, which enables the removal of some plants to promote growth of others, as well as automated weeders and drones.
WeedSpider showcases its weeding machine. Photo by Noe Magaña. 
Agriplanter showcasing its automated planting machine. Photo by Noe Magaña. 
Austin Bowie speaks about the steam technology trials and results for fumigating the soil and plants. Photo by Noe Magaña. 
Daniel Alameda speaks to attendees on how Top Flavor Farms uses drone technology. Photo by Noe Magaña.
Top Flavor produces leafy greens such as cilantro, kale and parsley.
Alameda said with technology comes new skills needed in the industry. Top Flavor hired Ceasar Avila fresh out of school as a drone manager.
“That wouldn’t have existed three years ago,” he said, noting that though the technology was there, it wasn’t refined enough to be used in agriculture.
Daniel Guerrero with Top Flavor said the ag industry has embraced technology to address current issues.
“This is why we have all these machines, because of the shortage of labor we have to deal with and the changing regulations,” he said.
Skidgel-Clarke said this was the second year a tech component was added to the tour, which focuses on presenting officials from regulatory agencies such as the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Department of Pesticide Regulation and the USDA visit various farms.
She said last year about 10 machines were showcased.
Alameda said events where tech companies, farmers and regulators come together help put all of them on the same page.
Skidgel-Clarke said the tour has been held since the 1990s and morphed into showcasing technology. She credited Tony Alameda with Top Flavor Farms for opening the event to the industry to increase exposure for the new technology.
The day’s activities began with presenting the showcase to regulators, giving them field experience.
“Now as they are regulating they have a better idea of the challenges growers face,” Skidgel-Clarke said. “They get a better sense of how committed growers are to the people and their community and their farmland.”
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