TULARE, Calif. (KERO) — Innovation is the name of the game at the World Agriculture Expo. The Expo, held every year at the International Agri-Center in Tulare, features some of the most cutting edge technologies in farming equipment, including electric vehicles and even self-driving tractors.
Jennifer Fawkes, marketing manager for the World Ag Expo, says the Expo is a chance not just to see what's new in farming equipment, but to learn and to network.
"We are the biggest Expo that runs every year. More importantly, we are really a good quality show for the attendees," said Fawkes. "We really work on good seminars, the right exhibitors, things that people need to see, need to try, and the folks they need to network with."
At the Expo, one can find companies showing off the latest innovations in farm equipment. Companies like Agtonomy.
Agtonomy is a business invested in making fully electric tractors for industrial use, but the innovations don't end there. Agtonomy tractors can be driven with someone in the driver's seat like any other tractor, but it can also be operated by remote control, as well as guide itself using sensors to detect its surroundings.
Valerie Syme, CEO of Agtonomy, says her goal is to find solutions that are sustainable both for the farmer and for the Earth.
"There is a tremendous amount of challenge due to climate change. They're looking for more sustainable solutions both environmentally and economically, and there are labor challenges," said Syme. "What we have set out to do here to create is software and service that's easily usable by farmers to do their day to day workload, whether it's mowing, weeding, spraying, transporting, in their vineyards, in their orchards, back and forth."
The Agtonomy tractor features cameras mounted on the front of it which the farmer can connect to wirelessly and display on a screen.
Agtonomy wasn't the only business showcasing self-driving farm equipment at the Expo. Another machine, the Global Unmanned Spray System, or G.U.S.S., was on hand to display its futuristic-looking self-sprayer as well.
"We have Herbicide G.U.S.S. here for the first time at the Wold Ag Expo. We won our third top ten award for the show with Herbicide G.U.S.S. this year. Showing that one off," said G.U.S.S. chief operating officer Gary Thompson. "It essentially just sprays the weed son the ground and utilizes sensors that see and spray the weeds, so it has a huge amount of chemical savings."
G.U.S.S. uses sensors instead of GPS to drive itself because often the canopies over farms block GPS signals.
All types of general use equipment can be found at the Expo, but there are also more specialized machines for particular crops, like the tree-shakers manufactured by Orchard-Rite.
"We manufacture tree-shakers for the nut industry, from almonds, walnuts, pecans, we get into pistachios and various crops," explained Orchard-Rite sales representative Emin Dhaliwal. "If you like almond milk, this is the process where it starts. It shakes all your almonds off, then you get the sweeper coming through, a conditioner, a pick-up machine, then off to the hopper and off to the processors, haulers, and all."
Of course, it wouldn't be an Expo without the networking and community opportunities, and according to Jennifer Fawkes, this Expo does not disappoint on that front either.
"We have amazing food vendors at our show and they are run by non-profit entities," said Fawkes. "So if you are looking for some amazing food done by some really great people, get out here, have a sandwich."
The World Agriculture Expo in Tulare is going on from February 14 through 16 at the International Agri-Center. The theme of this year's Expo is "Taking Care of Ag Business." General admission tickets are $20.
