When growers are testing new ag robots, they will usually tell you one of two things, observed Ben Palone at Western Growers at the inaugural Ruggedize conference at Reservoir Farms in Salinas: “They’ll say it’s alright, which means its working great, or it’s a piece of sh*t.”

Growers, said Verdant Robotics* CCO Curtis Garner, expect your machine “to just work. Bombproof, reliable, and if something breaks, swap it.” And they will always “buy reliability before they buy innovation,” added John Deere business integration manager Sean Sundberg. READ MORE