AgRobotics for Vegetable Production

              and Weed Management              

Smith Gardens Farm, Queensville, ON

Project Description

Canada experiences agricultural labour shortages, particularly in vegetable production in Ontario. To address this challenge, this project evaluated two commercial field robots: the battery-powered Naio Orio and the solar-powered FarmDroid, to support crop production and reduce reliance on manual labour. The FarmDroid and Orio were used to plant onions on 7-acre plots, and the FarmDroid carried out both inter- and intra-row weeding until the canopy closed.

Technology Description

FarmDroid FD20

Powered completely through solar energy, the FarmDroid FD20 is an autonomous seeding and weeding platform capable of inter-row and intra-row weeding using a high-precision guidance system. The FD20 can operate up to 24 hours and manage up to 16 acres a day; all while living in the field due to its robust solar panel.

Naio Orio

Naïo Orio is an all-electric, autonomous tool-carrier capable of carrying a wide variety of implements due to its 3-point hitch. The Orio can manage up to 22 acres a day with a battery life of up to 10 hours. This Orio was equipped with implements for planting, spraying, and cultivation. Due to technical difficulties during the 2025 season, the Orio was only able to perform planting.

  • Track daily usage (time & area)

  • Measure work rates (planting & cultivation)

  • Record labour, supervision & interventions

  • Evaluate weed control performance

  • Analyze economic feasibility (costs & savings)

Research Objectives

• Precision: GPS-guided for accurate, repeatable operations.

• Autonomy: 24/7 field operation reduces labour needs.

• Field-Ready: Can remain in-field for continuous operation.

• Herbicide Reduction: Mechanical weeding lowers chemical use.

• Solar Powered: Zero fuel costs, fully electric system.

• Zero Operation Emissions: FD20 has zero direct GHG emissions.

• Cost Savings: Lower operating costs with positive ROI potential.

Technologies Potential

Smith Gardens

Located in the Holland Marsh, Smith Gardens est. 1925, is a world-class growing and packing operation, spanning over 850 acres of carrots, onions, parsnips and beets. Smith Gardens partnered on this project to trial out the FarmDroid and Orio in their onion fields and will continue development on integrating the FarmDroid into their onion production system for the 2026 season! Keep a look out for innovative growers like Smith Gardens that lead the way to the future of farming.

FarmDroid Mechanical Weeding vs. Hand-Weeding Comparative ROI Estimate

Project Findings

  • Full-Scale Operation Field Size: 49-acres

  • FD Equipment + Labour Total Cost: $35,525

  • Hand Weeding Total Cost: $53,900

  • Difference or Yearly Savings: $18,375

  • ROI: 11%

  • Pay-Back Period: 9.5 years

  • Total Operating Time: 8 hrs.

  • Total Coverage: 6.80 acres

  • Average Work Rate: ~0.85 acre/hour

  • Total Labour: 68.5 hours (setup, mapping, maintenance & repair*)

  • Interventions: 39 total (occurred during planting ~4.88/hour)

Orio: Planting Only

*Orio experienced technical difficulties this season.

  • Total Operating Time: 105 hrs.

    • 39 hrs. Planting

    • 66 hrs. Weeding

  • Total Coverage: 28.63 acres

    • 1 pass of planting

    • ~3 passes of weeding

  • Average Work Rate: ~0.27 acre/hour

  • Total Labour: 7 hours (setup, mapping, maintenance & repair)

  • Interventions: 4 total (only occurred during planting ~0.1/hour)

FarmDroid: Planting & Weeding

Event Spotlight: Bradford ARWG Demo Day, July 8, 2025

The FarmDroid and Orio were showcased along with seven other Ag-Tech products and machines at the Bradford ARWG Demo Day at the Ontario Crops Research Station and Smith Garden’s farm this past season with over 60 attendees! The crowd was primarily made up of academics and government officials looking to learn more about AgRobotics and Ag-Tech trials being done on muck soils!

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