The selections for the 2023 Top-10 New Products Competition — to be displayed at the World Ag Expo in Tulare, California — have been unveiled by organizers. Products ranged from a safety innovation to autonomous robots to resource-saving products. The contest judges consisted of farmers, ranchers, and industry professionals.
World Ag Expo usually draws more than 1,200 exhibitors and an estimated annual average of 100,000 individuals from 60 countries. The event is being held February 14 to 16, 2023, at the International Agri-Center.
The field of new products that were judged were submitted by exhibitors. Winners will be noted on show maps, marked with “Top-10 Winner” flags at the show, and recognized at an awards session at World Ag Expo Opening Ceremonies on February 14.
Here were the 10 products chosen for 2023:
BeeHome by Beewise
Oakland, California
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The BeeHome seamlessly and automatically detects threats to a honeybee colony such as pesticides or the presence of parasites. The robotic system responds by addressing the threat in real-time, in the field. This round-the-clock surveillance and treatment requires no human intervention, and the device is compatible with existing beekeeping practices and infrastructure. With BeeHome, colony collapse of bees is reduced by as much as 80 percent, while operational costs are slashed by as much as 90 percent.
Bluewhite Pathfinder by Bluewhite
Fresno, California
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Bluewhite’s Pathfinder transforms any brand of existing orchard or vineyard tractor into a fully autonomous fleet, capable of executing multiple tasks, such as spraying, applying herbicide, discing, mowing, or harvesting with high precision and operating efficiency. Pathfinder uses the unique fusion of multiple sensors, LIDAR, cameras, and GNSS, enabling safe navigation in every crop and application without the reliance on GPS/RTK or cellular connection, which is not available in all operating conditions.
Superhuman Crop Scouting On-Board by Burro with Bitwise Agronomy
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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Bitwise Agronomy Crop Scouting helps farmers evaluate their crop by using cutting-edge AI technology to see “like humans” — but better. With Bitwise on-board, crop scouting is more accurate, more consistent, and analyzed at superhuman speeds. Bitwise can look at different phenological stages, as well as measure and count fruit volume (bunches or berries) to give actionable insights and information to predictive yield estimates for crops throughout the growing season. When operating on-board Burro as a “digital implement,” Bitwise Agronomy Crop Scouting operates seamlessly with Burro’s in-field autonomy for automatic real-time crop scouting.
Vulcan by FarmWise
Salinas, California
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Vulcan is a category II three-point hitch implement that combines Titan’s ultra-precise weed removal capabilities with best-in-the-industry reliability, ease of operation, and adaptability to any field conditions. Vulcan can work on more than 15 different crop types (new crop types are added continuously through software updates) and has been designed to be easily maintained and repaired.
Herbicide GUSS by GUSS Automation
Kingsburg, California
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Herbicide GUSS is a cutting-edge autonomous herbicide sprayer manufactured by GUSS Automation, LLC in Kingsburg, California. This driverless sprayer is built with multiple precision sensors designed to detect, target, and spot spray weeds on the orchard floor with the specific amount of material needed. This technology reduces the amount of chemical used which is better for our environment, reduces cost, and keeps employees safer.
Smart Sprayer by Mantis Ag Technology
Gonzales, California
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Mantis introduces the most advanced and environmentally sustainable alternative to specialty crop sprayers: The Smart Sprayer. The Smart Sprayer features advanced visual recognition (VR) technology to precisely apply beneficial crop protection products to targeted plants. The VR technology combined with reliable and field-proven automation allows the Smart Sprayer to reduce off-target or excessive spraying of non-planted areas in the field. This results in both economic, environmental, and product performance gains and helps producers better manage crops, compliance requirements, and production logistics.
HAYTECH by Quanturi
Palo Alto, California
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HAYTECH is a smart solution designed to improve the profitability of hay production. Both global and ultra-precise, HAYTECH monitors the entire storage site 24/7 regardless of the size of haystacks. HAYTECH is a ready-to-use pack comprising durable wireless probes, base station, visualization services, and alerts.
S5 Pressure Compensating Heavywall Dripline by Rain Bird
Azusa, California
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Save water and energy while reducing chemical consumption with Rain Bird S5 Pressure Compensating Heavywall Dripline, the ultimate in smart irrigation. The “S” in S5 stands for “Smart Spacing.” Smart Spacing allows growers to specify repeating patterns of variable spacing between emitters to deliver water to plants and not the areas between. S5 Dripline uses Rain Bird’s proven Agricultural GritX self-Flushing emitter that features precise and accurate flow rates.
Seed Spider Digital Controller Mobile App by Sutton Agricultural Enterprises
Salinas, California
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New to the Seed Spider system is the Digital Controller Mobile App. The app simplifies the calibration process, stores seeding history, calibrates metering units, tracks productivity and area planted, provides real-time fault detection, and compares current and historical seeding information. The Seed Spider online platform allows you to take data gathered from the Digital Controller app and view area planted on Google Maps and historical data on seeding such as time seeding, total seed weight dispensed, distance seeded, and seeding speed. The Digital Controller app replaces physical controllers on existing Seed Spider seeders and is standard on all new seeders.
Flying Autonomous Robots by Tevel
Gedera, Israel
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Tevel introduces a robotic fruit harvesting system, integrating eight Flying Autonomous Robots™ on a platform harvester made by S&S Metal Fabrication. The system is designed to work in different environments of modern 2D rows – whether in high-density fruit walls or V-trellis and is adaptable to different tree heights and row widths. The Flying Autonomous Robots™, powered by advanced AI and computer vision algorithms, continuously collect data on every piece of fruit picked, providing real-time harvesting data to the grower. Tevel’s robots have already picked apples, peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, and pears in the United States, Europe, and Israel.
