Free event, organized by VINE Connect and UC Merced, showcases ag tech startups, sustainable farming tools
Autonomous weed-killing robots, AI-powered plant-health scanners and farm waste converters will take center stage Wednesday, Sept. 17, when University of California, Merced hosts a VINE Connect Field Day.
Seven ag tech startups will demonstrate market-ready solutions designed specifically for the challenges the California agricultural industry has identified as top priorities: rising costs, shrinking resources and persistent pest and labor challenges. This field day is free and open to the public.
The event, running from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., will give farmers, advisors and agricultural professionals hands-on access to innovations vetted specifically for California’s complex growing conditions. Each participating company is part of VINE Connect, a program that helps commercially available ag tech solutions scale into California agriculture through field trials, mentorship and localized market support.
VINE Connect is a component of The VINE, a statewide innovation platform run by UC ANR Innovate (the innovation arm of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources) and Farmhand Ventures (a social impact innovation firm specializing in labor-focused solutions for agriculture).
"Our goal is simple: get proven solutions into farmers' hands faster," said Nat Irwin, director of VINE Connect. "This field day lets growers observe these technologies in real conditions, ask questions and make informed decisions about what will work for their operations."
“Water, labor, pests: these are the issues we hear about from growers, again and again,” said Hannah Johnson, industry lead at UC ANR Innovate. “This field day is designed to address those priorities head-on. When growers can see these tools in action and talk directly with the people behind them, it builds the trust necessary for adoption.”
The cohort includes:
- Aigen – Solar-powered robot providing chemical-free autonomous weed control
- Almondry – UC Merced innovation reducing harvest dust with off-ground almond drying system
- Amiga (Bonsai Robotics) – Electric field robot automating weeding, seeding and crop monitoring
- Good Agriculture – Digital platform streamlining farm finances and grant applications
- Senseen US – NutriScope™ handheld scanner diagnosing plant health with AI and spectroscopy
- Spornado – Air sampler detecting fungal spores before visible disease symptoms appear
- VGrid Energy Systems – Biomass gasifiers converting farm waste into biochar and bioliquid products
Guided by a statewide Innovation Advisory Board, The VINE uses data and stakeholder feedback to prioritize California’s top agricultural challenges, then runs global searches to identify and scale solutions that are relevant and ready.
"The VINE creates a complete pipeline from lab to field," said Gabe Youtsey, chief innovation officer for UC ANR. "We're proving that when you start with farmers' actual problems, not what we think they need, you get technologies that scale because they solve real challenges from day one."
Attendees will meet at the UC Merced Conference Center, 5200 North Lake Road, Merced, California, 95343. They will then proceed to the Experimental Smart Farm, a living laboratory where researchers, students and industry partners can collaborate in real time.
Attendees will rotate through live equipment demonstrations, see data dashboards and mobile tools in action, and hear directly from the startup teams about how their products work in California farm settings. The program also includes opportunities to engage with UC researchers, Cooperative Extension advisors and fellow growers during Q&A and networking sessions.
“Healthy soil is the basis for life,” said Leigh Bernacchi, executive director of Valley Institute for Sustainability, Technology & Agriculture: Farms, Food, Future. "When diverse organisms come together in the right environment in healthy soil, transformation happens. This field day is where farmers, companies, students and academics grow into the future of farming.”
Register at: https://eventbrite.com/e/1359065965889.