Yolo County recently hosted the latest installation of the FIRA (Forum for International Agricultural Robotics) event, which attracted over 1,000 attendees on its first day. This year’s event, now in its third iteration, focused heavily on addressing labor challenges through automation in California’s specialty crop agriculture sector.
According to Walt Duflock, Vice President of Innovation at Western Growers, an organizer and speaker at FIRA, the labor shortage in agriculture is becoming a pressing issue for California growers. With labor becoming harder to secure and increasingly expensive, robotics and automated solutions are being explored as viable alternatives to traditional methods. “The labor check for California growers amounts to $16.3 billion annually, with about 850 million labor hours required,” Duflock noted. These economic pressures mean many farms are relocating to regions like Arizona, Mexico, or Peru where costs are lower. Automation offers a potential lifeline to keep farming operations viable in California.
One example discussed was a case study conducted with the grower Braga Fresh, which compared costs between manual weeding and the use of automation. In the first year, labor expenses for weeding totaled $2.1 million, but introducing the Carbon Robotics laser weeder reduced costs to $1.3 million—an $800,000 savings. This kind of return on investment is precisely what makes automation appealing to growers, according to Duflock. “If you can get a one or two-year payback on a machine, it eases the labor pressures significantly,” he explained.
FIRA also placed a spotlight on collaboration between startups, many of which are developing complementary technologies. Some companies are combining hardware, sensors, and data solutions to offer integrated products. “Farmers don’t care how many products are bundled together,” said Duflock. “They care about what it does to their bottom line.” Platforms such as Farm-NG’s versatile robots can be customized for multiple tasks, including planting and weeding, providing flexibility to meet growers’ needs.
While automation offers promising solutions, challenges remain—especially concerning regulations. Duflock referenced research by Lynn Hamilton from Cal Poly, highlighting a significant increase in regulatory costs for California farmers. From 2005 to 2017, these costs rose from $109 per acre to $977 per acre due to food safety regulations, labor laws, and healthcare mandates. These increasing expenses add further urgency for farmers to adopt cost-saving technologies.
A standout feature of FIRA is its emphasis on live demonstrations, giving attendees the opportunity to see robotics in action. “Watching these machines perform in the field is far more powerful than seeing slides or videos,” said Duflock. The format has evolved since the event’s inception, now offering field demos every day, allowing growers to interact directly with the technology and the companies behind it.
Though FIRA offers valuable in-person experiences, the event also provides remote resources for those unable to attend. Western Growers, a partner in the event, offers economic templates and consulting services to help farmers evaluate automation’s feasibility for their operations.
Looking ahead, Duflock hinted that FIRA’s success in Yolo County may inspire future events in other fairgrounds across California. “We’ll likely continue expanding to other counties to make it easier for more people to attend.”
As automation becomes increasingly necessary, events like FIRA help farmers connect with the tools and knowledge needed to stay competitive in a rapidly changing agricultural landscape.
Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet News Hour and The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.