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Instead of barrel racers and bull riders, robots entertained the crowds at this rodeo.

Live demonstrations by automated farm implement companies on dusty rodeo grounds highlighted FIRA USA, the three-day agricultural technology conference and trade show in September in Salinas, California.

Onlookers lined fences to watch self-driving equipment from companies such as Agtonomy, GUSS and Naïo Technologies wind its way through simulated orchard and vineyard rows, as well as a live vegetable patch, while representatives of the companies touted their wares.

An autonomous GUSS sprayer makes its way through the orchard rows at FIRA, while company chief operation officer Gary Thompson narrates. The company started with row crops and nuts but has since developed the Mini GUSS to navigate the narrow orchard rows of the apple and grape industries. (Photos by TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)
An autonomous GUSS sprayer makes its way through the orchard rows at FIRA, while company chief operation officer Gary Thompson narrates. The company started with row crops and nuts but has since developed the Mini GUSS to navigate the narrow orchard rows of the apple and grape industries. (Photos by TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)

The demos took a lot of work by organizers, who planted live vegetables as much as eight weeks ahead of time and asked students at nearby Hartnell College to weld iron vineyards. But growers unanimously ask for demos, said Walt Duflock, vice president of innovation for Western Growers. The group helped organize FIRA, which debuted in Fresno last year with just one day of demos.

“The No. 1 request after Fresno was, ‘I want more of that,’” he said. 

Of the 60 exhibitors at the show, 16 paid the extra fee to demonstrate. Good Fruit Grower focused on a handful that could lend themselves to the tree fruit or wine grape industries.

For example, tree fruit growers are eyeing Agtonomy, a Bay Area startup that automates existing equipment with factory-fit conversion kits that feature an array of sensors and computer vision. The company demonstrated a prototype, built onto a Bobcat frame, that pushed a mower attachment and towed a trailer with two empty apple bins.

A driverless tractor by Agtonomy winds its way through potted trees arranged to mimic orchard rows during robot demos at the 2023 FIRA USA conference and trade show at the Salinas Sports Complex in Salinas, California. Live demos were a big part of the September event that showcased automation advances in specialty crops. Agtonomy is a Bay Area startup intending to commercialize by convincing manufacturers to retrofit its technology to existing equipment. The prototype in this photo is built onto a Bobcat frame. (Photos by TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)
A driverless tractor by Agtonomy winds its way through potted trees arranged to mimic orchard rows during robot demos at the 2023 FIRA USA conference and trade show at the Salinas Sports Complex in Salinas, California. Live demos were a big part of the September event that showcased automation advances in specialty crops. Agtonomy is a Bay Area startup intending to commercialize by convincing manufacturers to retrofit its technology to existing equipment. The prototype in this photo is built onto a Bobcat frame. (Photos by TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)

The self-driving tool is sized for narrow orchard rows and tight turns, which enables more efficient use of space when planting, said Scott Jacky, who works for Yakima-based orchard management company NWFM and is a member of the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission technology committee.

Agtonomy also sells TeleFarmer, a proprietary software that serves as a control panel, labor tracking and planning tool. The company plans to bring prototypes to Washington for demonstrations and field days in 2024.

Another automated vehicle of interest for tree fruit is Prospr from Robotics Plus of New Zealand. The company estimates the diesel/hybrid engine reduces fuel use by 70 percent, while the individually powered wheels handle slopes up to 20 percent and rows as narrow as 6 feet.

An operator from Robotics Plus of New Zealand loads a diesel/electric hybrid vehicle onto a trailer at the end of the three-day FIRA event. The company, which participated in the trade show but not demos, prides itself on interchangeable payloads, shown by the quick-release latches for the spray tank. Robotics Plus ran demonstrations with Burrows Tractor in Washington orchards this fall. (Top: Ross Courtney/Good Fruit Grower; Inset: TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)
An operator from Robotics Plus of New Zealand loads a diesel/electric hybrid vehicle onto a trailer at the end of the three-day FIRA event. The company, which participated in the trade show but not demos, prides itself on interchangeable payloads, shown by the quick-release latches for the spray tank. Robotics Plus ran demonstrations with Burrows Tractor in Washington orchards this fall. (Top: Ross Courtney/Good Fruit Grower; Inset: TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)

Engineers gave Prospr a modular design. Currently, a spray rig with tank and adjustable fans are the only available attachments, though leaf blowers and hedgers are coming soon, CEO Steve Saunders said.

Other demonstrations came from companies already pitching their products to the tree fruit and grape industries, including the autonomous sprayers from GUSS, the Monarch electric tractor, and tractors outfitted with Bluewhite’s autonomy technology.

Spectators watch as a tractor outfitted with a Bluewhite autonomous navigation kit steers through the orchard demo arena. The company expects to have between 20 and 30 units operating commercially in Washington by the end of the year, CEO Ben Alfi said. (Photos by TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)
Spectators watch as a tractor outfitted with a Bluewhite autonomous navigation kit steers through the orchard demo arena. The company expects to have between 20 and 30 units operating commercially in Washington by the end of the year, CEO Ben Alfi said. (Photos by TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)
An electric, self-steering tractor from Monarch winds its way through a simulated vineyard in a demo arena at FIRA. The California-based company estimates a 14-hour battery runtime, depending on the implements operated. The tractor can also be manually driven with drive-by-wire controls. (Photos by TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)
An electric, self-steering tractor from Monarch winds its way through a simulated vineyard in a demo arena at FIRA. The California-based company estimates a 14-hour battery runtime, depending on the implements operated. The tractor can also be manually driven with drive-by-wire controls. (Photos by TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)

Burro, the automated cart-like vehicle that follows people or preset routes, also ran demos. The California company has successfully penetrated the table grape market but demonstrated the Burro’s new advanced tow pack that representatives said can manage up to 5,000 pounds for up to 12 hours on one charge cycle. Promotional videos at the startup’s booth showed it carrying totes of stone fruit.

Company reps also pitched the Burro as a platform to carry sensors for bloom or harvest mapping and produce tracking for food safety records.

Chris Thiesen of Burro sends the company’s autonomous vehicle, mounted with a mowing platform, through the demo vineyard and orchard. So far, the Pennsylvania-based company has focused on utilizing the Burro as a cart during table grape and blueberry harvest, but it is testing additional applications, such as mowing and carrying sensors. (Top: Ross Courtney/Good Fruit Grower; Inset: TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)
Chris Thiesen of Burro sends the company’s autonomous vehicle, mounted with a mowing platform, through the demo vineyard and orchard. So far, the Pennsylvania-based company has focused on utilizing the Burro as a cart during table grape and blueberry harvest, but it is testing additional applications, such as mowing and carrying sensors. (Top: Ross Courtney/Good Fruit Grower; Inset: TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)

French company Naïo Technologies also demonstrated. The 10-year-old company makes four different battery-powered weeding machines, two for vineyards, two for vegetables.

One is called Ted, an over-the-row vineyard weeder that combines real-time kinematic GPS with simple mechanical components, such as a spring arm that folds back weeding attachments to protect the trunks. With the tool’s upside-down U standing at 6.5 feet, it serves vineyards but not orchards.

The company’s Jo is an autonomous tilling crawler, also designed for vineyard rows.

Ted, the over-the-row vineyard weeder from Naïo Technologies of France, demonstrates with its many soil-moving attachments. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)
Ted, the over-the-row vineyard weeder from Naïo Technologies of France, demonstrates with its many soil-moving attachments. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)

So far, the company has commercial vineyard clients in Europe and California and is discussing dealership arrangements with Washington companies, said co-founder Gaetan Severac.

The company also is eyeing tree fruit. Severac declined to discuss specifics, but like many tech startups, Naïo designs its equipment to accept a variety of attachments for future tasks, such as pruning, harvest or mowing.

“We are going step by step, but we will deploy and increase the range of robots to address all the different kinds of agriculture,” he said. “So, it’s coming. It’s coming.” 

—by Ross Courtney