This week’s thread: test it before you trust it. Santa Cruz County growers and UC Santa Cruz are steaming 25 acres of berry ground and comparing it side by side with fumigated and untreated soil.1 A new UC Davis and University of Münster model finds small field robots could cut organic onion costs sharply, but not strawberry costs,4,5 and Michigan and Oregon researchers have $1 million to find out whether laser weeding pays in organic vegetables.8 Closer to harvest, Oxbo tomato harvester owners in eight Central Valley counties have a new dealer to call.2
This week in numbers
- 25: Acres of Pajaro Valley berry ground in a $175,000 steam pilot1
- 75%: Modeled cost cut per kilo for organic onions grown with small robots5
- $1M: USDA grant to test laser weeding in organic vegetables in Michigan and Oregon8
Readiness tags, from furthest out to closest: Research, In trials, Coming 2027, Available now. “Not yet in U.S.” means sold abroad but not here.
Robot of the week
Aigen Element Gen 2 X4
A solar-powered, driverless weeder whose four arms pull weeds at the root. Fleets are available for the 2027 season.
| What it does | Pulls weeds at the root with four independently operating arms, in the row and between rows, and records weed density going in and removal coming out.6 |
|---|---|
| Capacity | Handles weeds up to 6 inches across. Aigen lists 200 acres a season for a five-robot crew and designs each robot for 10,000 operating hours or eight years. Runs on solar with battery backup.6 |
| What it costs | Gen 2 X4 price not published; Aigen sells crews of 5, 10 or 20-plus robots at a per-acre cost set before the season. For the earlier Gen 2, Future Farming reported $50,000 a robot plus a $20,000 fleet fee in 2025.6,7 |
| Where it works | Row crops. In 2025 Aigen robots weeded cotton for Bowles Farming Company in California’s Central Valley; its site shows Element in North Dakota’s Red River Valley.6,7 |
In California: Specialty-Crop Technology
1. Berries: Pajaro Valley tests steam on 25 acres of ground
In trials New this week · DPR, Nov 10, 2026
Santa Cruz County growers are using steam across 25 acres of fields before blueberry, raspberry and strawberry planting, in a $175,000 pilot funded by the state Department of Pesticide Regulation and run by the county agricultural commissioner’s office with UC Santa Cruz researchers. The machine injects steam into the topsoil for 20 to 30 minutes to cut soil-borne disease organisms, nematodes and weed seeds. Plots were picked for their nearness to schools and other sensitive sites.1
The useful part for growers is the design. UCSC is sampling soil 7, 30 and 60 days after treatment and comparing steamed, fumigated and untreated plots, then tracking disease into spring and summer 2027. Earlier CDFA-funded trials on two organic and two conventional farms showed yield gains and better disease control than untreated ground, plant pathologist Jenny Broome reports; those trials were not a match-up against fumigation. High Degree, which built the steam machinery, says the open questions are fumigation-level results and field-scale practicality.1
What it costs: Not published for growers. The state is paying $175,000 for the pilot; High Degree hasn’t posted a per-acre price for steaming.1
Next step: Berry growers with ground near homes or schools: ask the Santa Cruz County agricultural commissioner’s office when the 60-day soil results and the 2027 disease counts will be shared, and get a quote for steaming a test block from the service provider. Compare cost per acre, acres per day and fuel and water use with your current pre-plant program, and keep your PCA in the loop on any change. Deliverable: a one-block steam trial plan for the 2027 planting.
Source: DPR: Santa Cruz County tests steam injection
2. Processing tomatoes: a new dealer for Oxbo harvesters in eight counties
Available now New this week · Oxbo and Belkorp Ag, Nov 9, 2026
Belkorp Ag is now Oxbo’s exclusive sales, parts and service provider for tomato harvesters in Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties, effective November 9. Belkorp, a John Deere dealer with eight Northern and Central California stores, says it invested in parts inventory, with its Firebaugh store as the hub for the tomato business. Its dedicated Oxbo support line is 559-657-8050.2
Oxbo keeps building tomato harvesters in Madera and will still serve customers directly from Woodland. Both companies frame the change around harvest uptime: more local parts stock and service capacity during the weeks when a down machine costs the most. Belkorp already sells Oxbo pistachio equipment and represents Oxbo’s grape line on the North Coast.2
What it costs: No change announced for machine prices; the companies say the move is about parts and service. Harvester prices are not published.2
Next step: Tomato growers and custom harvesters running Oxbo machines: before the 2027 season, confirm your machine records and open warranty items moved over, ask which wear parts Firebaugh will stock and how fast a field service truck can reach your fields at the peak of harvest. Deliverable: an updated harvest-season contact sheet with the new parts and service numbers.
Source: Oxbo and Belkorp Ag announcement
3. Almonds and pistachios: sterile moths are the next navel orangeworm tool in development
Research Recent update · West Coast Nut, Oct 28, 2026
Flyttr, a biotechnology company based in the U.K. and Virginia, is developing a genetically sterile male navel orangeworm. The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research, the Almond Board of California and Flyttr have partnered on a grant of nearly $5 million to develop it for almonds and pistachios. Unlike the existing sterile insect program, Flyttr’s moths are made sterile with a targeted genetic change rather than radiation, which the company says leaves them fitter, and only males would be released.3
It is early. “We are in the early stages of a multiyear program,” Flyttr chief strategy officer Neil Morrison told West Coast Nut. Field pilots in California almond and pistachio orchards are still to come, and the number of moths needed and the cost to growers are unknown. The Almond Board says it would add to, not replace, sanitation, monitoring, mating disruption and timely harvest. Navel orangeworm costs California tree nuts an estimated $800 million-plus a year.3
What it costs: Not published. Flyttr says it is too early to estimate grower costs.3
Next step: Keep your current navel orangeworm program and winter sanitation on schedule; nothing here changes them this season. If you farm large contiguous blocks, ask the Almond Board how pilot orchards will be chosen. Deliverable: a note in your pest file to check for pilot results before 2028 budgets.
Source: West Coast Nut: A genetic route for NOW control
4. Vegetables and berries: a model of where small robots save money, and where they don’t
Research Recent update · University of Münster and UC Davis, Nov 4, 2026
Researchers at the University of Münster and UC Davis modeled a 200-kilogram battery robot doing soil preparation, seeding, weeding, irrigation and fertilizing in strawberries, onions, lettuce and peanuts, organic and conventional, with conventional harvest costs added. Depending on the scenario, modeled production costs ran from 76% below to 17% above published reference values. Onions and lettuce in organic systems looked best, because weeding without synthetic herbicides is so costly. The study appeared in Nature Communications.4
By Future Farming’s reading of the paper, organic onions fell from €0.52 to €0.13 a kilo, a 75% cut, and organic lettuce about 47%, while organic strawberries came out slightly more expensive with the robot. The model assumes 18 hours of work a day and 50% savings on pesticide, fertilizer and water, and it does not fully count breakdowns, charging or software fees.5 Inputs such as seed, water, fertilizer and labor made up 72% to 90% of costs, so the savings depend more on input use than on the robot’s price.4
What it costs: Not applicable. This is a computer model, not a machine for sale.
Next step: When a robot vendor quotes savings, ask which inputs the figure assumes you’ll cut and by how much, how many hours a day the machine must run, and whether breakdowns and software fees are in the number. Strawberry growers should note the model found no savings for that crop. Deliverable: a one-page cost check comparing a vendor’s assumptions with your own field records.
Sources: University of Münster release · Future Farming
Beyond California: Laser Weeding on Trial
5. Organic vegetables: Michigan and Oregon get $1 million to test laser weeders
Research Funding news · Michigan State University, Nov 9, 2026
A four-year, $1 million grant from USDA’s Organic Transitions Program will let Michigan State University and Oregon State University researchers test precision laser weeding for vegetable growers moving to organic production. Project leader Joshua Miranda, an MSU assistant professor and Extension weed specialist, says the technology is still expensive and too slow for most farms, and growers lack data on the crop stages, weed sizes and timing where it pays.8
The first objective is crop safety, weed control, accuracy and operating limits in carrots, lettuce, onions and spinach. Then the team will build organic weed programs around the laser for in-row and between-row work, compare its costs with standard organic weeding to find where adoption pays, and hold on-farm demonstrations and field days with growers in Michigan and Oregon.8
What it costs: Not applicable to growers; this is a $1 million public research grant. The release does not name or price the laser weeder being tested.8
Next step: California organic vegetable growers weighing a laser weeder: these are the same crops and the same questions you face. Until the Michigan and Oregon data arrive, ask any vendor for weeds killed per hour at your weed sizes and crop stages, crop injury data, and the hand-weeding hours a grower near you actually saved. Deliverable: your current hand-weeding cost per acre by crop, so you can judge future results.
Sources: MSU release via HortiDaily · Onion World
Emerging tech: Worth Watching
6. Apples: a grower-built robot takes on fruit thinning
In trials New this week · Future Farming, Nov 9, 2026
Finite Robotics, started in 2024 by Amanda and Matt Stevens out of their own apple orchard in Kitchener, Ontario, built and deployed three of its Robothinner platforms in 2026. It offers thinning as a service, run after chemical thinning and before hand thinning, in addition to those methods rather than in place of them. The company showed at FIRA USA in October.9
Thinning is drawing robot makers because the window is short and a missed thinning can’t be made up later. A market-research summary published this week counts Finite with Aigritec and Matagritech among apple-thinning startups, many still pre-commercial, and names uneven performance across orchards with different tree shapes, varieties and light as the main hurdle.10 No thinning results or prices for the Robothinner have been published.
What it costs: Not published. Finite sells thinning as a service rather than selling the robot.9
Next step: Apple, pear and stone fruit growers: thinning robots are years from California orchards, so this is one to watch. If a vendor approaches you, ask for fruit set, fruit size and packout data from a full season, the tree training systems it has worked in, and acres per day. Deliverable: your current hand-thinning hours per acre by block, the number any robot has to beat.
Sources: Future Farming · Finite Robotics · Global AgTech Initiative
AgTech business: Money and Moves
| Soiltech Wireless AgSharks · Nov 10 | $25,000 from Plug and Play at Western Growers’ AgSharks pitch contest, for its real-time field-data service for growers.11 |
| Belkorp Ag Dealer deal · Nov 9 | Takes over Oxbo tomato harvester sales, parts and service in eight Central Valley counties (story 02).2 |
| Flyttr Grant · October | Nearly $5 million from FFAR and the Almond Board partnership to develop sterile navel orangeworm moths (story 03).3 |
| Public funding Research · November | $1 million in USDA money for laser weeding trials in Michigan and Oregon, and $175,000 from the state for the Pajaro Valley steam pilot.8,1 |
Startup to watch
Sami Robotics
A multifunctional robot platform for autonomous harvesting and field data. It won Western Growers’ AgSharks contest on November 10 with a $100,000 investment from Reservoir VC managing partner Danny Bernstein. Western Growers already named it the first startup it sponsors at Reservoir Farms, which gives it access to WG’s grower network and John Deere equipment, so its machines are likely to be tested on West Coast produce farms first.11
Next step: Small checks like these buy a startup a season of field time, not a finished machine. If one of these companies asks to test on your farm, get the trial terms in writing first: who runs the equipment, who owns the data, and who covers crop loss.
Source: Western Growers: AgSharks 2026 winners
On the calendar
Field Days, Deadlines and Shows
| Nov 20 11:59 p.m. PST | Innovation Grants startup applications due, California AgTech Alliance. Growers can take part as paid trial hosts.12 |
| Nov 20 Registration | Free early-bird registration ends for the Desert Difference summit in Yuma (below).13 |
| Dec 8–10 Tue–Thu | The Almond Conference 2026, Almond Board of California14 |
| Dec 9–10 Yuma, Ariz. | Desert Difference: Global Agtech Innovation Summit, UA Yuma Agriculture Center SMART Farm. Live field demos of connected automation, robotics and sensing.13 |
| Feb 9–11 Tulare | World Ag Expo 202715 |
Hosting a field day or robotics demo? Email info@jcsmarketinginc.com with the details and we’ll list it.
From the field
“We have to continually question the efficacy of old practices and embrace new technology.”
Rich Kreps, president of Ultra Gro, named CCA of the Year at the 2026 Crop Consultant Conference, in West Coast Nut16
From Enterprise Ag magazine
What Does AgTech Have to Prove?
By Kristin Platts · October 30, 2026
Judge farm technology by how it performs on California farms, not in a demo: ask how the maker measured its results, count maintenance and downtime, and look for independent validation before you buy.
Read the article · Visit Enterprise Ag
Your next moves
Register for the Desert Difference summit in Yuma, Dec. 9–10, while early-bird registration is free through Nov 20, to see connected field robots and sensors work in winter vegetables, from the calendar. Desert Difference
Read the University of Münster summary of the small-robot cost study this week, before a vendor quotes you savings, from item 04. Study summary
Watch for harvest support calls on Oxbo tomato harvesters to go through Belkorp Ag’s Firebaugh hub, effective Nov 9 (559-657-8050), and confirm your machine records moved over before the 2027 season, from item 02. Announcement
Editorial suggestions for field review, never a pesticide or product recommendation. In California only a licensed PCA can make a written pesticide recommendation.
What are you testing?
What technology are you trying this season, and is it paying off? Email info@jcsmarketinginc.com and tell us.
Editorial note: “Next step” passages and readiness tags are the editorial judgments of MyAgLife and Enterprise Ag; the findings before them are attributed to the numbered sources. Performance figures are company claims unless noted. Product mentions are not endorsements. Current product labels, Cal/OSHA requirements and your own field results govern management. This report does not award CE credit.
Sources
- Department of Pesticide Regulation, “Heat Check! Santa Cruz County Collaborative Tests Steam Injection as an Alternative to Traditional Soil Fumigation,” November 10, 2026.
- Oxbo and Belkorp Ag, “Oxbo and Belkorp Ag Announce Expanded Partnership,” press release via Wine Industry Advisor, November 9, 2026.
- Cecilia Parsons, West Coast Nut, “New Approach to NOW Control Takes a Genetic Route,” October 28, 2026.
- University of Münster, “Autonomous, battery-powered farming robots could help conserve resources,” November 4, 2026, on Schlehuber et al., Nature Communications 17, 11336 (2026).
- Geert Hekkert, Future Farming, “Study: Small field robots could cut onion growing costs by 75%,” November 11, 2026.
- Aigen, “Aigen Launches Element Gen 2 X4,” September 16, 2026, and “Agriculture,” accessed November 11, 2026.
- Future Farming, “Aigen launches solar-powered Element gen2 robot for weeding crops,” April 28, 2025.
- Michigan State University, “$1M USDA NIFA grant to explore precision laser weeding in organic vegetables,” via HortiDaily, November 11, 2026; Onion World, “USDA Awards Grant to Explore Precision Laser Weeding in Organic Vegetable Production,” November 9, 2026.
- René Koerhuis, Future Farming, “Finite Robotics to solve labour and knowledge gap in apple thinning,” November 9, 2026; Finite Robotics, accessed November 11, 2026.
- Global Market Insights, Global AgTech Initiative, “Robots in the Orchard: Why Fruit Thinning Is the Next Big Test for Agricultural Automation,” November 10, 2026.
- Western Growers, “Two Startups Receive Funding for the First Time in AgSharks History at 2026 Pitch Competition,” November 10, 2026.
- California AgTech Alliance, “Innovation Grants,” accessed November 11, 2026.
- Morning Ag Clips, “Desert Difference Global Agtech Innovation Summit Set for Dec. 9-10 in Yuma,” November 11, 2026; Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture, “Desert Difference,” accessed November 11, 2026.
- Almond Board of California, “Almond Conference Agenda,” accessed November 11, 2026.
- World Ag Expo, “World Ag Expo 2027,” accessed November 11, 2026.
- West Coast Nut, “Inaugural CCC Awards Recognize Leaders in California Agriculture,” October 28, 2026.
- Kristin Platts, Enterprise Ag, “What Does AgTech Have to Prove?,” October 30, 2026.
- Photos: High Degree (top, 01); Aigen (Robot of the Week); Finite Robotics (06).